Maurice Kelly, A. H. Trimble, Geo. J. Richardson and
Joseph Stewart are
all unexceptionable [sic]
gentlemen who will legislate for the best interests
of Quincy and Adams
County. They are entitled to the support of every
citizen who has the
interests of Quincy and Adams County at heart. They
should have the
vote of every Democrat in the county.The
Quincy Daily Herald, Quincy,
Illinois, November 8, 1870, page 2

We are
under obligations to Joseph Stewart, representative
from this county in
the legislature, for a number of state documents.
The Quincy Daily Herald, Quincy,
Illinois, February 10,
1871, page 2

J. H. Stewart home 1872, Atlas of Adams County

Hon. J. H. Stewart.--"Elmwood,"
the country seat of Mr. Stewart, is as the reader can easily perceive
from an inspection of the view, one of the finest places in the suburbs
of Quincy. The house occupies a commanding position, which allows a
fine view of the city. The grounds are ornamented with varieties of
evergreens, forest trees and shrubbery. The house is a two-story
structure, ornamented with piazzas &c, which give to it a tasty
appearance. The place is in cultivation principally for fruit, and
there is an abundance of this at Elmwood. Mr. Stewart has taken a deep
interest in horticultural matters, and the result of his investigations
in the fruit line are indicated in his success as a fruit grower.Atlas of Adams County, 1872, page 86

1879 The History of Adams County. Thanks to Jeannette Mullane for this and other images.

STEWART HON. JOSEPH HOWARD,
farmer and fruit grower; Sec. 25; P.O. Quincy; was born in Washington
County, Me., Nov. 22, 1833; came to this county in 1836; was married in
Payson to Miss Elizabeth Hyman, Nov. 29, 1854. She was born in crossing
the Atlantic, as her parents were emigrating from Germany to this
country. Mr. Stewart is one of a family of ten sons and four daughters,
all of whom are now living, with the exception of one daughter, who, at
her decease, left a family of five children. Hers has been the only
death, with the exception of Mr. Stewart's father, that has occurred in
the family. On Thanksgiving day of 1877 the family had a reunion, at
which five generations of the family were represented. Mr. and Mrs.
Stewart have five children: Anna B., born Sept. 23, 1856; Clara M., May
17, 1860; Cora E., Nov. 24, 1867; William H., Dec. 13, 1869; Junie C.,
June 17, 1876. Mr. Stewart has about 700 acres of land, all of which is
very valuable. He has been a member of the Legislature of this State.The History of Adams County, Illinois, 1879, page 732

Joseph Stewart, one of the commissioners of the
Indian Grave District
Levee, reports that the levee is safe. It is
believed that no break
will occur."Items in Brief," The
Quincy Daily Herald, Quincy,
Illinois, April 30, 1881, page 3

LAWN PARTY AND
SOCIABLE.

A lawn party and sociable will be given at
the residence
of
Mr. Joseph Stewart, on North Twelfth
Street, next Tuesday,
by the Ladies' Aid Society of the Vermont Street
Baptist Church. It
will be an excellent opportunity for all
citizens to go out to the
suburban residence, obtain an elegant supper for
25 cents, and spend a
pleasant evening. Conveyances will leave the
church at 4 and 6 o'clock
P.M. Those who cannot go in time for the supper
can take the trip in
the cool of the evening and be provided with ice
cream and other
refreshments. The arrangements are such that all
who go will have a
jolly time.The
Quincy Daily Herald, Quincy,
Illinois, July 10, 1881,
page 4

Enjoy a
pleasant ride tomorrow evening by driving out to the
residence of Mr.
Joseph Stewart, on North Twelfth Street, and take
supper with the
ladies of the Vermont Street Baptist Church.."Brevities," The
Quincy
Daily Whig, Quincy, Illinois, July 11,
1881, page 2

Owing to the storm yesterday
afternoon
the lawn party at Mr. Joseph Stewart's was
abandoned."Items," The
Quincy
Daily Whig, Quincy, Illinois, July 13,
1881, page 2

THE HOTTEST DAY.

Yesterday was the hottest day known in this
city for
many years. At the residence of Hon. Joseph
Stewart in Ellington, the
mercury went up to 108. Mr. Stewart states that
he has kept a record of
his thermometer, which has never been changed
for fourteen years, and
that yesterday was the first time it went to
108. The day in the city
was undoubtedly the hottest for many years.The
Quincy Daily Herald, Quincy,
Illinois, August 12, 1881,
page 4

Hon. J. H. Stewart, a prominent fruit grower of
Adams County,
Illinois, has been in the valley for several days,
and may locate, as
the country seems to suit him. He is a nephew of
Alex Stewart of
Medford precinct."Personal Mention,"
Democratic Times,
Jacksonville, September 19, 1884, page 3

Mr. Joseph Stewart, of
this city, and Mr. H. Tandy, of Newtown, expect
to leave for the Rogue
River Valley, Oregon, in a few days. They will
probably be absent over
a month."City News," The
Quincy
Daily Journal, Quincy, Illinois,
February 7, 1885,
page 4

Hon. J. H.
Stewart of Adams County, Ills., who paid this valley
a visit last
summer, has returned with the intention of
remaining. He was one of the
prominent nurserymen of that portion of the Sucker
State. He will
probably engage in the same business here.
"Personal Mention," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
February
27, 1885, page 3

J. H. Stewart said that while he was
a
stranger to our soil and climate, he was not a stranger
to a
horticultural society, for he had belonged to one for
years and knew
they were of great benefit to the fruit interest. He
desired to impress
upon the minds of the gentlemen present that too much
care could not be
taken in selecting varieties of fruit before planting
orchards. While
there were many varieties of fruit that possessed merit,
there were but
few kinds that would prove profitable to ship for the
general market.
Minutes, February 28, 1885,
Fruit
Growers
Association of Southern Oregon Record Book,1885-1889, page 20

Hon.
J. H. Stewart will start
for his home near
Quincy, Ill., next
Sunday, for the purpose
of closing his business
there and removing to
this country. His family
will accompany him."Here
and
There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville, March
20, 1885, page 3

Henry
C. Howard of Eden
precinct has sold his
fine farm to Hon. J. H.
Stewart, now of Adams
County, Ill., for the
sum of $5,400. Mr. S. is
a
fruitgrower of much
experience and a
gentleman of enterprise
and
intelligence, and we
welcome him in our
midst."Personal
Mention,"
Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
March 20, 1885, page 3

Mr. Stewart, recently
from Illinois, has bought the Ball place of about
200 acres near
Phoenix, and intends to put nearly the whole of it
out in pears. He is
an experienced fruit grower, and after looking over
the Pacific coast
has come to this valley as the best place for his
business. In a few
years he will be able to ship pears by the carload
from his own
orchards to the East."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings,
March 20, 1885, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart, who purchased H. C. Howard's
place in Eden
precinct, started for his home in Illinois Sunday
evening. He will
return with his family as soon as he disposes of his
large interests
there. Mr. S. will plant several thousand apple and
pear trees and
several acres of strawberries as soon as he takes
possession of his new
farm."Personal Mention," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, March 27, 1885, page 3

Mr. J. H. Stewart, whom we mentioned last week as
intending to set out
an extensive pear orchard on the farm recently
purchased by him between
Phoenix and Medford, has discovered a large deposit
of chalk or gypsum
on the farm which he thinks will be a profitable
item of export. He has
gone back to his old home in Illinois to sell out
his property and
settle up his business there preparatory to coming
out there to live,
and expects to return here in time to set out a
large number of fruit
trees next fall."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, March 27, 1885, page 3
We got a package of Strawberry roots from Hon Joseph
Stewart from
Muncie, Illinois they have come in good order.
Emmett is going to set
them out.Diary of Welborn
Beeson, Talent, Oregon, April 10, 1885

Emmett has set out the Strawberry plants, recd from
Mr J StewartDiary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent, Oregon, April 13, 1885

Strawberries, the
finest ever grown in this locality, were sold at the
groceries
yesterday at 10 cents per quart. Mr. Joseph Stewart
will have a very
large crop of berries this season, and they will
compare favorably with
the best raised in the South or West. The Stewart
berries are in demand
in all of the western and northwestern cities.The
Quincy Daily Whig, Quincy, Illinois,
June 6, 1885, page 3

Mr.
Solomon Stahl has purchased the elegant home of Mr.
Joseph Stewart, on
North Twelfth Street. This is one of the finest
country seats in the
entire West and Mr. Stahl is certainly fortunate in
securing so
magnificent a home. It comprises a large, commodious
residence, a
magnificent lawn of four acres, with an abundance of
the finest shade
trees and shrubbery and many acres of strawberries,
raspberries and
other fruit.The
Quincy Daily Whig, Quincy, Illinois,
August 9, 1885, page
10

Mr. Joseph Stewart,
who recently sold his home in Ellington to Mr. S.
Stahl, left with his
family last evening for his future home in Oregon.The Quincy Daily Journal, Quincy,
Illinois,
September 9, 1885, page 4

Among the arrivals on Monday was J.
H.
Stewart and family, of Illinois. Mr. Stewart, who has
been for many
years a well-known horticulturist and fruit dealer in
the Chicago
markets, came out here last spring, made a trip to
Medford and bought a
large fruit farm. Today he is here with his family, a
carload of
implements, etc., and has en route 8000 peach trees of a
choice variety
which he will set out this fall. Mr. Stewart and family
went south
yesterday. "Immigration Board Items,"
Oregonian, Portland,
September 16, 1885, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart and family arrived from Quincy,
Illinois, this week.
As will be remembered, Mr. S. purchased the farm of
Henry C. Howard,
near Phoenix, a few months ago."Personal Mention," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, September 18, 1885, page 3

J. H. Stewart, of
Illinois, who was in this valley last year and
bought a farm at the
west side of the valley, north of Phoenix, arrived
this week with his
family from Illinois, and is preparing to go into
fruit culture on a
large scale. He brought with him a carload of
implements, etc., and has
en route 8000 peach trees of choice varieties, which
he will set out
this fall. Mr. Stewart has been a prominent fruit
dealer in the Chicago
markets, and his judgment as to the outlook for the
fruit industry in
this valley is worth something."Personal," Ashland
Tidings, September 18, 1885, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart and family have taken possession
of the farm
purchased of H. C. Howard prior to his [Stewart's]
return to Quincy, Illinois."Personal Mention," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, September 25, 1885, page 3

Mr. Stewart is selling
a large number of fruit trees on his place west of
the old stage road
north of Phoenix."Brevities," Ashland Tidings, March
12, 1886, page 3

From invitations
received by Mr. W. S. Flack it is learned that Miss
Annie B. Stewart,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Stewart, is to be
married on Easter
Sunday to Mr. Arthur J. Weeks, one of the leading
architects of
Portland, Oregon, and the owner of [a] large fruit
farm. Miss Stewart
has a large circle of friends and acquaintances in
Quincy who will
extend to her their heartiest congratulations. A
lady of the highest
attainments, she will grace any home and will
doubtless receive a
cordial welcome in Portland."Brevities," The
Quincy
Whig, Quincy, Illinois, April 8, 1886,
page 8

Kate & I rode down the valley to visit at Mr
Joseph H Stewarts
Had a good visit he has over a hundred acres set out
to fruit trees all
growing fine. They are nice people from Quincy,
Illinois.Diary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent, Oregon, July 28, 1886
I went to Jacksonville Wm Beeson, Joseph Stewart,
and Arthur Weeks went
with me I negotiated a loan from Mr Stewart for two
years, for a
1000.00 in a Mortgage on the home farm. Diary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent, Oregon, July 29, 1886
Mr Stewart and His son in law Mr Weeks called to day
I rode to Saw Mill
with them. I sold them 16000 feet of lumber for a
check on Beekman at
Jacksonville for $144.00. They stopped for dinner.Diary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent, Oregon, August 11, 1886

Emmett & I went to Saw Mill got a load of Lumber
and Emmett
took it to Ashland planing Mill to have it dressed.
Mr Stewart Came to
Mill and I sold him several thousand feet more
lumber. Been pleasant
day. Kate & Winnie Canning blackberrys Grand Pa
went back to
Ranch this Morning.Diary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent, Oregon, August 12, 1886

A
Fine Fruit
Farm.

People
who want to know what can be done in the way of making a
fruit
farm in this valley should visit the place of Mr. J. H.
Stewart, about
two miles north of Phoenix. Mr. Stewart is an
experienced fruit grower,
having spent some thirty years in the business in its
various branches
in Illinois. He came out with his family to this valley
last October to
take possession of this farm of 180 acres, which he had
bought the year
before. He knew just what he wanted to do, and just how
to do it.
Messrs. S. B. Galey and F. H. Carter, of this place,
paid Mr. Stewart a
visit one day this week, and report that he now has
growing on his
place a young orchard composed of 4000 pear trees,
mostly Bartletts,
3000 peach and 3500 apple trees, and has raised from the
seed and
budded several thousand more young peach trees. Besides
this he has
what he calls his "home" orchard, in which are some 300
young trees of
30 or 40 different varieties. Mr. Stewart has entirely
transformed the
appearance of the place, and is now building a fine new
farmhouse on it.Ashland
Tidings, August 13, 1886, page 3

Some
of the largest
and finest
watermelons
brought to
Ashland this
season were
from the farm
of J. H.
Stewart (the
old Ball
place),
between
Medford and
Phoenix. It
was thought
before Mr.
Stewart bought
this place
that
vegetables
couldn't be
grown there to
advantage, but
Mr. S. tried
his system of
farming on it
and has
thoroughly
surprised
some of his
neighbors. The
Tidings can
testify to
the quality of
the melons,
having been
favored with a
thirty-pound
sample by
Clayton &
Gore, who are
handling them
here."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, September
17, 1886, page
3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart, one of the most progressive farmers
in the State,
has lately completed a handsome and well-arranged
residence on his
place in Eden precinct. It is second to no farmhouse
in the county. A.
J. Weeks was the architect."Here
and There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
November
26, 1886, page 3

A gentleman of large ideas removed to this vicinity
(Medford) two years
ago and bought a farm which was supposed by many to
be exhausted. He
dropped his plow down a few inches below the
customary level (about 3
inches), then followed with a subsoil plow. He then
pulverized
thoroughly this bed of loose earth, and the results
have been
astonishing. The former owner bought his garden
produce, melon and
vegetables. The new man raised $1,000 worth of
melons and all kinds of
garden and field crops in great profusion and of the
best quality. His
corn is not behind that of the best Illinois product
in quality, nor
far behind it in yield. He has demonstrated that we
can produce any
kind of crops raised in the Ohio Valley and many
others in addition. He
advocates drainage rather than irrigation. He
planted pear seeds last
spring, budded them in June and now has budded trees
large enough to
transplant to the orchard. All this in less than
eight months! This is,
except France, the only spot on earth where such a
thing can be done,
and American pear stocks are a thing of history. Our
nurserymen are no
longer compelled to import pear stocks from sunny
France, but can have
them produced in the "Italy of America.'' Brains and
energy are the two
great needs of Southern Oregon. All else Nature
provides.Scott
Morris, "Our Oregon Letter," The Plain Dealer, North
Vernon,
Indiana, December 8, 1886, page 2

FRUIT
CULTURE "OUT
SOUTH."--Southern
Oregon is bound
to become the
great
fruit-producing
section of the
state. Within
the past two
years
over a million
peach trees have
been set out in
Jackson County
alone.
Many of them
will produce
some fruit this
year. Mr.
Stewart, one of
the
members of the
Iowa press
excursion, which
visited this
state two years
ago, purchased a
place out there
and has set out
3500 peach
trees, and
Mr. Whitman,
another of the
same party, has
set out an
extensive
orchard of
Bartlett pears.
The prospect of
the near
completion of
the
connection by
rail with
California has
made the people
of the southern
portion of the
state jubilant
and infused new
life into that
section."Local
and General,"
Morning
Oregonian, Portland,
March
22, 1887, page
5

I went to Mr
Joseph
Stewarts to
get a bus of
seed corn
& some
beans. Jessie
& Fannie
went with me.
We had a
pleasant
visit,
but got home
in evening. Mr
Stewart is
busy planting
nursery and
grafting
trees. He is
going to have
about 20 acres
of Mellons.Diary of Welborn Beeson,
Talent,
Oregon, March 26, 1887
I rode down to
Stewarts had a
visit all day.
His garden and
Orchard
look fine
fruit trees
are growing
nice He has 18
acres of
Mellons and 5
acres of Sweet
potatoes.Diary of Welborn Beeson,
Talent,
Oregon, July 3, 1887
I went up to
Saw Mill and
around to
Stewarts paid
him $100.00
interest
on the note we
owe himDiary of Welborn Beeson,
Talent,
Oregon, July 6, 1887

Kate & Mrs
Jacques and I
went to
Jacksonville
we Called at
Mr
Stewart and he
went with us
We mortgaged
our place to
Mrs Jaques for
$1500.00 due
in five years,
and we paid Mr
Stewart His
$1000.00. We
took dinner at
the Union
Hotel and got
home at dark,
left Mrs
Jaques at
Talent.Diary of Welborn Beeson,
Talent,
Oregon, July 30, 1887

Hons.
J. D. Whitman,
J. H. Stewart
and other
enterprising
citizens of
this valley
propose
underdraining
their land and
have already
made a
contract with
Messrs. Close,
experienced
tile makers
who recently
arrived from
Canada, for a
large amount
of their ware."Here
and
There,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
August
26, 1887, page
3

One
of Our
Promising
Farms.

One
of
the very best
cultivated and
most
productive
farms in
southern
Oregon is that
of Hon. J. H.
Stewart, in
Eden precinct.
Watermelons,
berries, fruit
and vegetables
of all kinds
grow in
reckless
profusion
there evincing
the skill and
industry of
the
proprietor.
Mr. S., having
had charge of
the place less
than two
years, has not
yet had an
opportunity to
fully
demonstrate
the
productiveness
of his farm
nor his
ability as a
farmer. It
will take a
few years yet
to put his
place at
its best. Then
can be seen if
the soil of
this section
cannot compare
favorably with
that of any
other.Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
August
26, 1887, page
3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart,
who owns part
of the Justus
tract of land
in this
precinct, sold
at
administrator's
sale, is
having several
buildings put
up on it.Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
October
28, 1887, page
2

A Mr. Stewart,
who came
from Indiana,
has located
some distance
south of
Medford, which
is the
railway
station for
Jacksonville,
about five
miles distant.
He is
planting a
large pear
orchard in the
rolling land
or foothills,
because
that valley is
so sure in
producing good
crops of very
excellent
pears.
He is well up
in pear
culture and
considers that
region the
best he
ever knew for
that purpose.
Apples and
cherries do
well there,
and the
good people
thereabouts
have a faith
in themselves
and their
country
that is
pleasant to
behold, but
they probably
err in
supposing that
no
other part of
Oregon can
hold a candle
to them or
compete with
them in
these
products."Southern
Oregon," Ashland
Tidings,
December
9, 1887, page
1

Rev.
Wm. Stewart of Quincy, Ills., an able preacher, will
occupy the
pulpit of the Baptist Church in Medford next Sunday;
and on the third
Sunday in January.Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville,
December 30, 1887, page 3

The farmers of Jackson County can grow garden stuffs
and melons in the
greatest excellence and profusion. Their melons have
been literally
corded up in our grocery stores all the summer and
fall, and they can
meet any demand. Mr. Stewart, who was mentioned the
other day as
planting out many pears, has already 150 acres of
orchard, and will
this season plant out seventy acres more, intends
next spring to plant
about a quarter section of land in tomatoes, melons,
sweet potatoes,
etc., having made a success of such crops the past
season. The soil is
quick, the summers warm, and the valley possesses
every facility for
producing early fruits and vegetables in the
greatest excellence as
well as profusion."Agriculture,"
Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, January
5, 1888, page 2

Rev. Wm. Stewart
will preach in the Baptist Church next Sunday morning
and evening."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
January
13, 1888, page 2

Rev.
Wm. Stewart of
Quincy, Ills.,
brother of Hon. J.
H. Stewart, who
has been paying this
valley quite a
visit, started on
his return home a
few days since. We
hope he has become
sufficiently
attached to this
valley to
permanently locate
here in the near
future.
Mr. and Mrs. Dillon
Hill, who were
united in matrimony
on the 17th inst.,
have already
commenced
housekeeping at the
new residence
recently built on
Hon. J. H.
Stewart's farm near
this place. They
begin married life
under
auspicious
circumstances, and
they have the
congratulations and
best
wishes of a host of
friends."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, January
27, 1888, page 3

Hon J. H. Stewart of Eden precinct made us a
call last Tuesday. He is
now engaged in planting 6000 choice fruit trees.
Mr. S. is one of the
most enterprising and intelligent of our
citizens. We are always glad
to see him."Personal Mention,"
Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
February
10, 1888, page 3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart of Eden precinct, who also
owns a piece of land near
Medford, has just finished planting 65 acres
of it in choice fruit
trees. He leads all other horticulturists in
southern Oregon, having
nearly 200 acres in trees, all of which will
be bearing by 1892. It can
truly be said that Mr. Stewart is an
energetic and progressive farmer
and fruit raiser."Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
February 24, 1888, page 3

J.
H. Stewart, of Medford, shipped 1300 lbs. of
sweet potatoes recently
from his farm between Medford and Phoenix.
Mr. Stewart raised tons of
sweet potatoes last season, and has
demonstrated since coming to this
valley that vegetables of all kinds, melons,
corn, etc. will grow well
on the land in this valley without
irrigation, if only thorough
cultivation be employed."Brevities,"
Ashland
Tidings, March
9, 1888, page 3

If we have the
straight of
it, Robert A.
Miller
of
Jacksonville
has been made
president of
the fruit
growers
association of
Southern
Oregon. This
no doubt means
that the
organization
will take on
new life and
vigor and
become
something more
than a sort of
haphazard
advertising
medium for
tree peddlers.
With
such actual
and practical,
and
experienced,
growers of
fruit and
grapes
as Stewart,
Whitman,
Miller, Galey
and others,
this
association
should
be made one of
the recognized
interests of
the state. It
ought to be
able to make
rules and
regulations
for all
growers in
Southern
Oregon,
and so hedge
this great
interest, that
dishonest men
in the
business or
deal with it
cannot get it
at a
disadvantage.Southern
Oregon
Transcript, Medford,
March
13, 1888, page
3
Rev. Wm. Stewart, who spent
last winter
here, is now preaching in the First Baptist
Church of Quincy, Ill."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
April 20, 1888, page 3

W. S. Gore brought up
from J. H. Stewart's place last Saturday a
pie plant stem and leaf
which is the largest displayed here up to
date, measuring 30x31 inches
across when spread out flat. Mr. Stewart is
preparing to raise a large
amount of truck this year, as usual. He has
in ten acres of sweet
potatoes and a large area of corn, tomatoes,
watermelons, etc."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings,
May 11, 1888, page 3

Messrs.
Stewart and Hon. J. D. Whitman have the finest
fruit ranches in
the county. Frequent visits by strangers are
made to these beautiful
places. The crops upon both are simply immense
and are convincing
evidence of what brains and energy will do in
this glorious climate."Medford
Notes,"
Oregonian,
Portland,July 24,
1888,
page 6

Capt.
A. J. Stewart, a brother of Hon. J. H. and F. M.
Stewart, arrived
from the East a short time since and will locate. He has
purchased some
land of S. B. Edsall and J. A. Anderson."Personal
Mention,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
June
29, 1888, page 3

Progressive
Agriculture.

Hon. J.
H. Stewart will, we learn, soon begin work
underdraining the lower
portion of his fine young orchard near Phoenix,
having already placed
his order for ten thousand feet of tiling with Henry
Close &
Son of Ashland. There can be no question but what
judicious
underdrainage would benefit large areas of land in
this county,
enabling farmers to start the plow much earlier in
the spring, and
reclaiming much land that is ruined for orchard
purposes by standing
water. But for his inability to obtain tiling at
reasonable figures Mr.
Stewart would have underdrained his orchard last
fall, and would
doubtless have saved many fine trees which were
ruined by the standing
water during the long continued wet weather of last
season. He will lay
six-inch tiling, principally, although much of a
smaller size will be
used. It is thought by those who have had experience
with tiling that
thorough underdrainage would enhance the value of
adobe soil fully one
hundred percent, as it then could be worked at will
instead of at the
caprices of the weather, as is now the case, besides
being revivified
and enlivened by being relieved of its surplus
moisture in time to be
heated into growing condition by the earlier spring
sunshine.Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September 27, 1888, page 3

I went down to Stewarts to view a new
County Road with Mr Olwell of
Pheonix and Mr Whitman of Medford as
viewers, and J S Howard Surveyor
the road runs from the Hamlin road to
the Mountain road near Colmans,
we pronounced favorable.Diary of Welborn Beeson,
Talent,
Oregon, October 15, 1888

Drain
Tiling.

Close & Sons have shipped a carload of drain
tiling to H. B.
Miller of Grants Pass this week from their yard near
town, and J. H.
Stewart and others of this county have been using a
considerable
quantity this winter in draining fruit lands. Close
& Sons will
manufacture a large amount during the coming season,
and will find a
heavy demand, both in this neighborhood and other
parts of the valley.Ashland
Tidings, January 11, 1889, page 3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart has sold 22 acres of his farm in
Eden precinct to S.
H. Sykes, lately from the East, for $3000. It is
planted in fruit trees.
We learn that Hon. J. H.
Stewart
successfully experimented in the line of
producing sun-dried raisins
last season from Muscat of Alexandria grapes,
grown on his place near
Phoenix. The raisins were of good quality and
well cured."Here
and
There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
March
21, 1889, page 3

J. H. Stewart, of Eden
precinct, succeeded in producing excellent
sun-dried raisins last
season, it is said, from Muscat grapes grown on
his place. If it be
possible to produce good raisins in this valley,
another great field in
the horticultural line will open for our home
industry."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings,
March 29, 1889, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart of Eden precinct has been
appointed a member of the
southern district agricultural society, established
by the last
legislature. A better appointment could not have
been made."Here
and There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
April
4, 1889, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart of Eden precinct has 15,500
choice fruit trees
growing nicely on his farm, and his son-in-law, A.
J. Weeks, also has a
young orchard containing about the same number of
trees."Here
and There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
April
11, 1889, page 3

Besieged with
Credentials.

Hon. J.
H. Stewart, the county agricultural association's
representative on the
district agricultural board, is having honors thrust
upon him. Before
the organization of a local society the county court
appointed him to
represent this county on the board. At the primary
organization of the
Jackson County Agricultural Society Mr. Stewart was
appointed as its
representative on the district board, and, upon its
incorporation under
the name of the Jackson County Agricultural
Association, Mr. Stewart
was declared to be its accredited representative on
the board; and now
we learn that he will carry credentials from still a
third local
agricultural society organized at Medford a few days
since. In common
with the rest of us, who have the good of the county
at heart, Mr.
Stewart deplores the differences, but will do all in
his power to
secure the location of the district fair in the
county, if possible to
do so. It is to be hoped that he and Mr. McDonough
will be successful
in securing the fair; but they would have had a much
easier task if
there had been anything like cooperation among the
residents of our
enterprising railroad towns in this matter. The
county at large will
not endorse any effort on the part of anyone to play
the marplot, when
it comes to depriving this valley of so desirable
a boon as
the district fair.Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, May 30, 1889, page 3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart has resigned his position as a
member of the state
agricultural board for southern Oregon, and Gov.
Pennoyer will be
called upon to fill the vacancy."Here
and
There,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, August 1, 1889,
page 3

J.
H. Stewart has had 4000 feet more of tiling
hauled to his fruit farm
from Close Bros.' brick yard near Ashland.
J. H. Stewart, of Eden
precinct, will
tile drain a portion of his orchard this fall
having had very
satisfactory results from his first venture in
that line."Here
and
There,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, August 8, 1889,
page 3

I hauled two loads 64 boxes, and then I picked
apples and so forth Mr
Shade, picking Apples Emmett took load potatoes
and onions to Mr
Stewarts 20.00Diary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent,
Oregon, October 1, 1889

Saturday I hauled two loads of wood to Henry
Low, and then John hauled
two loads wood to wood House J H Stewart came up
to get 1000 scions of
the Red Pryor Apple to send to His brother in
law at Albany Nursery
---- [illegible] He thinks Pryors Red a
good
Shipping apple. He seems to think this snow
storm is a good thing for
Rouge Pair so do I. it will make the water
Supply and no danger of a
drowth next Summer but still a great deal of
stock will die but it may
learn people not to have more stock than they
have feed. The sun has
shone bright all day but not melted the snow on
top but thawing from
the ground. It is freezing to night and stars
shining brightDiary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent,
Oregon, January 18, 1890

Hon. J. H. Stewart, the
orchardist, has completed the laying of two
miles of tiling, and is now
free from the annoying excess of moisture which
prevented early plowing
in his fields in former years.
"Local Notes," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, April 3, 1890, page 2

Of
J. H. Stewart it may be truly said that he has
devoted his life and his
intellect to furthering the interests of
horticulture in this section
of the Northwest. We very much doubt if there is
another man north of
the Santa Clara Valley who has done more than he to
show the almost
illimitable capacity of our soil and climate for the
production of the
fruits of the temperate and semitropical
regions--those magnificent
productions which bid fair to bring a stream of
dollars into the
pockets of our orchardists for all time to come.
Before coming to the
coast Mr. Stewart served several terms in the
Illinois legislature at a
time when most exciting events were transpiring, and
the knowledge of
the fact that he is skilled in debate and
parliamentary tactics
doubtless governed by the convention in fixing upon
him by an almost
unanimous vote as one of our candidates, for he was
not seeking the
nomination at their hands. His attention has been
engrossed so closely
in developing one of the model orchards and farms of
the valley that he
has heretofore found no time to take any active part
in politics. Like
his colleagues, he has been a lifelong Democrat and
has a clean record
as a business man and gentleman."Our County Ticket," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
May 9, 1890, page 2

J. H. Stewart is our leading orchardist, and a
thoroughly qualified man
for the office of legislator. Vote for him next
Monday."Here
and There," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, May 30, 1890, page 3

Much
interest was
taken in the
speeches at the
opera house hall
by
Messrs. [J. H.]
Stewart and
[Francis] Fitch.
Both are cogent
reasoners
and forcible
talkers and held
the attention of
their hearers
throughout.
Hon J. H.
Stewart and
Francis Fitch,
Esq., delivered
telling speeches
to a good
audience, at the
Medford
opera house, in
the interest of
Democracy and
reform, on
Wednesday
evening last.
Both were
listened to with
profound
attention and
their
remarks went
right home to
their hearers."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic Times, Jacksonville, May 30,
1890, page 3

Medford Mail:
Thos. Shattuck, the watermelon king of Josephine
County, was in the
valley during the week and while here made
arrangements to handle Hon.
J. H. Stewart's melons grown on his fine farm near
Medford."Here and There," Ashland
Tidings, July 25, 1890, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart last
week disposed of his watermelon crop in the field to
Thos. Shattuck,
the melon king of Josephine County.
"Local Notes," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, July 25, 1890, page 3

F. H. Page, of the
firm
of Page & Sons, Portland, was a
visitor in Medford yesterday,
after having spent several weeks' vacation
on the fishing grounds of
the Klamath country. Mr. Page has the
distinction of being the first
[fruit] shipper from the Rogue River
Valley [H.
E. Battin & Co.
preceded Page & Sons.], and
his reminiscences of
old times are replete with interest. The
first car of pears came from
the old Stewart orchard, now the famous
Burrell property. This was in
1889 or 1890, Mr. Page is not certain
which. [Fruit
was shipped by the carload
from the Rogue Valley in 1884,
the year the railroad--and J. H.
Stewart--arrived here. Bartlett pears
were shipped by the carload from the
Rogue Valley as early as 1888--before
Stewart's
orchard came into bearing. Contemporary
news accounts (see
above) suggest Page is remembering the
shipments of 1891.]
In order to make the pack worthy of the
quality of the fruit, which was
destined to astonish the New York and
other markets and create a
standard which has never been equaled by
any other fruit section, Mr.
Page brought a force of ten or twelve
people from Portland to sort and
pack the pears, wrap and box them in fancy
style, and personally
supervised the work. The result was so
satisfactory that the banner
price of 80 cents per box gross was paid
to the grower."Early Days of Fruit Shipping," Medford
Mail Tribune, July
27, 1910, page 4 The
remainder of the article is
transcribed here.

Dillon Hill and family
accompanied Hon. Jos. Stewart and wife to the
coast, near Crescent
City, and will remain there until late
September.

J. H.
Stewart will
not
have pears
enough on
his young
orchard
between
Medford and
Phoenix to
make carload
shipments
to the East
this year, but
will have
about 400 or
500 boxes to
sell.
Next year he
will no doubt
be making
carload
shipments to
Chicago, and
when his
160-acre
orchard comes
into bearing
he will send
to Illinois
some of the
finest
Bartletts the
people there
have ever
seen.Ashland
Tidings,
August 15, 1890, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart expects to ship an enormous
quantity of Bartlett
pears from his large orchard next season. The
young trees are
just coming into bearing and will yield
something over 500 boxes of
luscious fruit this season.

Mrs. A. J. Stewart
departed one day last week for a visit with
friends in Chillicothe,
Missouri, and will be absent several weeks."Personal
Mention,"
Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
September 26, 1890, page 3

Messrs. Stewart and
Hill last week shipped two carloads of fine
watermelons from this
section to a Montana consignee, this being
their last shipment. They
average 20 pounds apiece.
"Here and There," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, October 24, 1890,
page 3

J. H. Stewart, of Medford, a brother-in-law of Mrs.
John Hyman, arrived in this city this morning in a short visit. He
brought with him some of the finest grapes ever seen in this city."Home and Abroad," Albany Democrat, October 24, 1890, page 3

A. Stewart of
Klamath
County visited Medford lately, coming
after supplies, and returned home
a few days since."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, December 19, 1890,
page 2

[In
1891]
I went home to Medford and got a job
working for a man by the
name of [A. J.] Stewart, who was improving
quite a large tract of land
preparatory to setting out an orchard on
it. He had built a good
residence, barns, and other outbuildings.
My principal job with him was
to make the kitchen fire in the morning,
then take care of two teams of
horses and after breakfast go out and help
clear off the land. There
were oak trees and quite a large number of
manzanita scattered over the
tract. The manzanita could be pulled out
by a team. We used a log
chain, which was wrapped around the base
of the shrub and the team
could pull it out. The brush was then
piled and burned. The oak trees,
most of which were small, had to be
grubbed out. That was hard work.
The weather in Rogue River Valley is damp
and cold in the winter, but
seldom gets really very cold. There is
generally a lot of rain and
sometimes wet snow. The work and the cold
weather gave me a tremendous
appetite, such as I never had before.
Stewart was a man in his sixties
and had lived in Texas, I believe, on the
Mexican border. He was used
to working Mexicans. I was to get up at
five o'clock in the morning and
work as long as there was daylight in the
evening. I became very tired
of his mean, arbitrary ways, and when at
last he found fault with me
about not getting the horses cared for in
the morning as promptly as he
thought ought to be done I left. He tried
to coax me to stay but I had
taken all I cared to from him.Levi
Harper Mattox, memoirs,
typescript filed at the Southern Oregon
Historical Society, page 115

A wonderful growth of rhubarb has been
produced at Hon. J. H. Stewart's
place during the present season, the direct
cause being tile drainage
and liberal manuring of the soil."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, June 5, 1891,
page 2

Hon.
J. H. Stewart and Weeks Bros. have
contracted their peach crop, we
learn, to the amount of 30,000 boxes or
more, to the Salem Canning
Company, the agreed price being reported to
be 1½c per pound."Here
and
There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, June 12, 1891,
page 3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart responded to the call for
summer cabbages last week
with the first of the season, raised on
his tile-drained garden land
above Medford."Here
and
There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, June 19, 1891,
page 3

At
Medford last Tuesday, J. H. Stewart was
thrown from a horse he was
riding and had his collar bone broken. He
was also badly bruised about
the hip and altogether suffered painful
injuries. Drs. Geary, Pryce and
Wait attended him, and after being put in as
comfortable condition as
possible, he was taken home."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, July 10, 1891, page 3

J. H. Stewart, who
was thrown from his horse at Medford last week,
sustaining a fracture
of the collarbone, is getting along as well as
could be expected this
hot weather."Local
Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, July 17, 1891,
page 3

Rogue
River Melons Coming.

Messrs. Shattuck and Lee, the great
melon growers of
Grants Pass, arrived here yesterday for
the purpose of seeing what
arrangements they can make for marketing
their crop here. They say
there is from 150 to 175 acres in melons
in that section this season,
including Mr. Jackson's fifty acres,
which lie up the river about
fifteen miles from Grants Pass. The
prospects are good for a fine crop
of watermelons, cantaloupes and casabas.
The melons are all fine, and
there is plenty of them. The output will
be fifty carloads or more, and
shipping will be begun next week. The
watermelons grown on Rogue River
are principally of a hybridized variety
originated by J. H. Stewart, of
Medford, who began his experiments in
this line over twenty years ago,
which have resulted in the evolution of
the best melon yet found. The
area suitable for growing melons is very
limited. The melons will range
from fifteen to twenty pounds in weight,
which is much more profitable
than larger ones, of which a much less
number can be put in a car,
making the freight very expensive. The
hauling of the melon crop to the
railroad furnishes employment for all
the teams in the vicinity while
it is going on.--[Oregonian.Ashland
Tidings, August
7, 1891, page 2

Page
& Son have bought the peaches and
tomatoes of J. H.
Stewart, between Phoenix and Medford, and
are shipping from his place
this week."Fruit Items," Ashland
Tidings,
August 28, 1891, page 3

A. J. Stewart, Jr., who has been visiting at
the residence of his
parents near Phoenix for some time, last
week departed for his home in
New Mexico, where he is engaged with a large
mining company."Local
Notes," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, September 11, 1891, page 3

A. J. Stewart of Eden precinct has been
shipping a large amount of
tomatoes north by express."Here
and There," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, September 18, 1891, page 3

F.
H. Page, Jr., is preparing a fine exhibit of
apples from the J. H.
Stewart farm for the Portland Industrial
Exposition. There should by
all means be an exhibit of Ashland peaches
at the fair. Won't somebody
take the trouble to make a collection and
send the fruit down?
"Fruit Items," Ashland Tidings, September
25,
1891, page 2

Hon.
J. H. Stewart, one of the best
horticulturists in the state, has
already sold and shipped a large
quantity of dried fruit, for which he
received a good figure. He has also sold
most of his winter fruit at a
nice price, receiving $1 a box for 1200
boxes of apples, to be
delivered next month. Mr. Stewart's
example is one that can be emulated
with advantage."Local
Notes,"
Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
December
11, 1891, page 3

A.
J. Stewart will set out an 80-acre orchard
this season on his place
between Phoenix and Medford. He will plant
prunes principally, and a
goodly number of almonds. Mr. Stewart is a
brother of J. H. and F. M.
Stewart, the large orchard men in the same
neighborhood."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, December 18, 1891, page 3

One of the largest and
best appointed
plants [i.e.,
orchards]
is that of J. H. Stewart, Esq., consisting
of 240 acres of from one to
five years' setting, cultivated and pruned
in a workmanlike manner, and
the trees are showing a good and healthy
growth. Mr. Stewart has
exercised great care in his treatment of
this promising orchard, having
underdrained it with tile in those places
where it was most needed, and
from the large amount of tile lying upon the
grounds I judge that this
portion of the work is not yet completed.
This gentleman is sanguine of
success in fruit raising, for we found him
preparing another plat of
forty acres, which he proposes to put into
apples another year.
James A. Varney, "Report of the Inspector of
Fruit Pests," First
Biennial Report of the
Oregon State Board of Horticulture, 1891,
page 31

FRUIT
CULTURE.BY
J.
D. WHITMAN, OF MEDFORD.

Mr.
President: In view of the fact that
the culture of
fruit has been discussed for years from
every conceivable standpoint,
and by much more able men than myself, I can
scarcely hope to present a
single original thought. You will,
therefore, pardon me if in the
presentation of this paper I shall take a
somewhat wide range, even to
the discussion of not only fruit but the
fruit grower and the general
farmer and their relations to their homes
and families. The first from
a Southern Oregon standpoint; the second, in
a more general sense.
Prior to the advent of
railroads into
Southern Oregon but little attention was
given to the growing of fruit
beyond supplying the local demand. With no
fruit pests to defeat their
efforts, the growing of the choicest of
fruits was a most easy task for
all. But with railroad development,
affording facilities for reaching
the outside markets, came also the
fruitgrower seeking a soil favorable
to the production of the choicest fruits,
ranging all the way from the
semi tropical to the hardiest varieties, and
over which the conditions
of climate were so adjusted to the nature of
the soil as to warrant
their extensive production. In this Southern
Oregon excels, and but few
who have fairly investigated her claims have
found it desirable to look
further. But when the men of faith commenced
planting large orchards,
the Rip Van Winkle element of our valley
commenced croaking, "No
markets," and seemingly very candidly
advised us that we would soon be
digging up our orchards to grow wheat in
place of fruit.
But, fortunately, among
the
fruit-growers was one man of vast experience
in fruit culture and of
indomitable courage, whom neither Rip Van
Winkle nor fruit pest could
prevent pushing ahead with all possible
industry, intelligence and
energy; a man whose name is worthy to be
mentioned in every fruit
growers association in Oregon, Joseph H.
Stewart. He presents today the
model fruit farm of our State, consisting of
two hundred acres, largely
the work of his own hand within the last
five years. Southern Oregon
challenges the State to show its equal
within her borders. With such a
leader, the courage of the less experienced
fruit-grower has never
wavered. And it is due to some of the
croakers, even, to say that they
also have fallen into line and are planting
trees somewhat extensively,
so much so that some portions of the valley
are fast becoming
continuous orchards. Prior to the advent of
our leader in
fruit-growing, it was thought that melons
could be produced only in
certain favored localities, but when this
man of iron will plunged his
subsoiler far beneath the shallow plowing of
previous years, he soon
taught us that melons could be grown in all
parts of our valley, and
not only of superior quality but in such
abundance as to supply the
Willamette Valley with but little apparent
diminution in quantity.Excerpt, First
Biennial
Report of the Oregon State Board of
Horticulture, 1891,
page 106

A. J. Stewart is this season
preparing
for the work of setting out an 80-acre orchard
of prunes, apples and
almonds on his fine place south of Medford. He
is a brother of Hon. J.
H. Stewart, and like the latter is thoroughly
familiar with the fruit
industry and has only been waiting to
familiarize himself with the
capacity of the valley in that line before
embarking therein."Here
and There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
January
8, 1892, page 3

The records tell
us
that A. J. Stewart has disposed of his
ranch to his son Clinton J. for
the consideration of $10,000. The land
is situated about four miles
south of town, and there are over 200
acres in the tract. This one of
the finest ranches and orchards in the
country, and the buildings upon
it, barn, dwelling house, etc. are
things of beauty indeed, and will no
doubt prove a joy forever to the new and
lucky owner."Local News," Medford
Mail, January
14, 1892, page 3

A. J. Stewart of Eden
precinct called on
us a few days ago. He will soon leave on
a trip for his health,
accompanied by his wife."Local Notes," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, February 19, 1892,
page 3

There are some very handsome apples now for
sale in Portland. They
retail at $1.75 per box. We are told they
are from the orchard of Mr.
J. H. Stewart, of Medford, Or., whose
article on "Over Production of
Fruit" appeared in the last issue of this
paper.--Rural
Northwest"Local News," Medford
Mail, March
17, 1892, page 3

Some handsome apples from the
orchard of
Hon. J. H. Stewart of this county have been
retailing in the Portland
markets lately for $1.75 per box. "Here and There," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, April 1, 1892, page 3

Bertha Stewart is one
of the girls who
studied quite hard during the winter and
passed the teachers'
examination. She has taught several
terms of school. She is now
teaching at Woodville.
Junie Stewart is
attending school,
coming from home which is nearly three
miles from town. She is quite a
favorite on account of her pleasant
disposition.J. C. Fielder, "Our Grade," Southern
Oregon
Mail, June 10, 1892, page 4

A. J. Stewart and wife of
Eden precinct,
who have been spending the past two months
in Mexico and east of the
Rocky Mountains, have returned home,
considerably improved in health."Local Notes," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, June 17, 1892,
page 3
Miss H. A. Harris,
who has been visiting
the family of Hon. J. H. Stewart for the
past two months, left on
Wednesday evening's train for her home
in Denver, Col., where she has a
position in the public schools of that
city."Local and General," Southern
Oregon Mail, August
5, 1892, page 3

Mrs. A. J. Stewart has
been in
California during the past week, and Mr. S.
has been a guest of the
Clarendon Hotel."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September 30, 1892, page 2

Joseph H. Stewart, 1893

Stewart's
Gopher Trap.

At the Newberg institute
Prof. Washburn
described a gopher trap which he saw in use at
the orchard of J. H.
Stewart, the well-known fruit-grower of Southern
Oregon. The trap
consisted of a small box left open at each end
and with a lid on top
which can be readily fastened. In this box Mr.
Stewart fastens pieces
of pork rind which have been thoroughly steeped
in a solution of
strychnine. Gophers have a fondness for running
through such openings
as the box discloses to them, and in passing
through they are attracted
by the pork rind and proceed to feast upon it,
with fatal results. The
rind being fastened in the box prevents danger
to dogs, poultry, etc.
Mr. Stewart uses a large number of these traps
about the corners of his
large orchard, and as a result suffers very
little from gophers.--[Rural
Northwest.Ashland
Tidings, January 6, 1893, page 1

Fine
Trees.

C.
E. Stewart of Eden precinct is planting 2500
trees which he bought of
the Central Point nursery. He says they are
growing the finest trees
there he ever saw. If you are in need of any
go and do likewise.Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
January
20, 1893, page 3

One of the most effective means for [ground
squirrels'] destruction
seems to be a trap in successful use in the
large orchard belonging to
J. H. Stewart at Medford, Or. He places, in
fence corners about his
orchard, boxes about one and one-half feet
square at the ends and about
four feet long. The top and two ends are
united and
can
be lifted off the box. The ends do not reach
quite to the bottom
board, an open space of about four inches
intervening [see Fig. 13],
and enabling the animal to run through the
box and out at the other
end. On the bottom, midway between the two
ends, pieces of pork rind
are securely nailed. These pieces have been
first soaked in a solution
of strychnine, made by boiling strychnine in
water. Kernels of corn may
be steeped in the same solution and placed
with the pork as an
additional bait, but is more easily
displaced and hence more likely to
be eaten by some animal for which it is not
intended. But the pork rind
cannot be removed. The top is fastened onto
the box by means of a
couple of nails, which can be easily pulled
out when putting in new
bait.
Mr. Stewart asserts that
his trees are
free from all attacks of this pest through
using this very simple
device.
"The California Ground Squirrel,"
Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station
Bulletin No. 24,
March 1893, page 21

Report has it that Jas. Stewart, who owns a
fine peach orchard just
south of Medford, has decided to graft the
entire orchard to prunes."City Local Whirl," Medford Mail,
May
5, 1893, page 3

Jos. Stewart is said
to be talking of grafting his
entire peach orchard near town to prunes
in the immediate future, and
prune raising is demonstrated to be such
a success that many new
orchards will be set out next year. The
fruit is less liable to be
killed by frosts than peaches."Medford
Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, May 19, 1893,
page 3Jos. Stewart, the big
fruit
man just south of Medford, has 4000 pear
trees set out, 3000 of which
are bearing this year. He expects to ship
nine carloads of Bartlett
pears direct to Chicago this summer. Talk
about fruit--well yes, we
have a few. The man that builds a cannery in
this valley has laid the
foundation to an income worth reaching for."City Local Whirl," Medford Mail,
June
2, 1893, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart is
preparing to ship
no less than nine carloads of Bartlett pears
to Chicago during the
coming summer, and will have oceans of fruit
of all kinds. We trust he
will receive ample reward for his nerve in
giving orcharding a fair
test on a scale in this valley, as he has
expended a big fortune
already on his splendid orchard."Medford
Squibs," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, June 9, 1893, page
2

A. J. Stewart and
wife last week
returned from their sojourn in Mexico
and New Mexico, and will remain
in the valley during the summer season."Local
Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, June 16, 1893,
page 3

The first shipment
of
peaches this season was made last Monday
by J. H. Stewart & Son
and J. A. Whitman."All the Local News," Medford Mail,
July
28, 1893, page 3

A. J. Stewart is figuring on erecting a fine
residence in the south and
west part of town, near Prof. Narregan's
place.

Medford
Mail,
August 11, 1893, page 3

TWENTY
CARLOADS OF PEARSVisit to a Sample
Fruit Farm in
Southern Oregon.

The Medford Mail
thus describes a visit to a
typical fruit farm in
Southern Oregon, owned by Joseph
Stewart:
"The farm is
located 3¼ miles
south from Medford. The land is very
fertile and seems particularly
adapted to the culture of fruit. There
are 160 acres of land--not a
large farm would it be for growing
wheat, but an immense affair when
planted entirely to fruit trees. Of
this 160 acres Mr. Stewart has 60
acres planted to pears, Bartlett
variety, and from which they are
expected to gather this year from 8000
to 9000 boxes of fruit, each box
weighing 40 pounds, or, in other
words, nearly 20 carloads. Just think
of it! More than an entire trainload
of Bartlett pears, all from one
farm. We made a drive through the
orchard, and remarkable as it may
seem, there is not a weed in the whole
orchard. The trees are loaded to
the utmost capacity, many of the
branches reaching to the ground, yet
bearing their immense burden without
breaking. The sight which presents
itself is one for which descriptive
adjectives have not as yet been
coined equal to do the occasion
justice. As far as the eye can reach,
down long rows of uniform trees,
nothing but large, healthy Bartlett
pears are seen growing. It is a sight
worth going miles to see. Aside
from this pear orchard are 50 acres of
late winter apples which are
bearing well and in a very healthy
condition. The farm has quite an
orchard of peach trees, but with these
Mr. Stewart is making no special
effort. Last spring he grafted prunes
onto 1200 of his peach trees, and
the result bade fair to be an
exceptionally flattering one, as
nearly
all the grafts are growing well and
seem even more thrifty than do the
natural branches. The reason given for
this grafting operation is
simply that prunes are more profitable
than peaches and do not crowd so
closely onto his pear harvest, and are
much easier to handle. During
the fruit picking and packing time 75
or 80 hands are employed in
caring for the fruit, and seven or
eight during the other months. Mr.
Stewart also supplies the Portland
market with about 10 tons of rhubarb
each ear. Aside from this large home
orchard Mr. Stewart has 78 acres
planted principally to apples, joining
Mr. Whitman's orchard, near
Medford.
"The 20 carloads of
pears, spoken of
above, will be shipped to Chicago and
New York markets, the
refrigerator cars to be used in their
transmission. The orchard of
which we have above written is only
about 7 or 8 years old, which fact
proves conclusively the great results
that can be accomplished in
fruit-raising where careful attention
is given and knowledge of fruit
culture is possessed, as is the case
with Mr. Stewart."Morning
Oregonian,
August 12, 1893, page 6

H.
F. Wood has the contract for building
Mr. Stewart's residence. The
building they tell us is to be a
beauty.
On Monday, August
28th, J. H. Stewart,
the big fruit grower, will commence
his work of packing Bartlett pears.
He expects that ten carloads will be
required to complete the pack. He
will ship from Medford over the
Southern Pacific to Portland and to
the
east over the Union Pacific--the
eastern destination has not as yet
been decided upon. The car will be
iced here and will require about a
ton of ice to the car."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
August 18, 1893, page 3

A
Big Shipment.

Hon.
J. H. Stewart of Eden
precinct, the well-known
horticulturist, who
has one of the largest and
best orchards in the state, is
getting ready
to ship a trainload of his
unsurpassed pears to the
market of the
northwestern and eastern
states. It will be the most
extensive shipment
of fruit ever made from
southern Oregon, and shows
what may be expected
in the future of this
fruit-growing section. Besides
this vast amount
of pears, Mr. Stewart will
have a large quantity of
apples, to say
nothing of melons, vegetables,
etc., for sale. His example is
worthy of
emulation.
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
August 25, 1893, page 3

Jas. Stewart began
the shipment of his
crop of Bartlett pears last Tuesday.
He will load and ship one car a
day for at least fifteen days. The
first shipments are being made to
Chicago."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
September 1, 1893, page 3

A
Fruit Farm that Pays.

The fruit farm of J. H.
Stewart, situated halfway
between Phoenix and Medford, about
ten miles north of Ashland,
presents
an attractive scene of busy
industry this week. The great
Bartlett pear
orchard of 60 acres planted by Mr.
Stewart six or eight years ago is
beginning to yield its generous
returns for the intelligent and
vigilant labor and care expended
upon it, and the first crop of
consequence is now being picked
and shipped.
Page & Son,
of Portland, have
bought the entire crop at 1½ per
pound. Mr. Stewart picks
the pears and delivers them in
boxes to Page & Son at the
packing house on the farm. Here
they are wrapped and boxed by
Page's
people, after which Mr. Stewart
delivers them to the cars.
Twenty-seven
women and girls are employed
packing the fruit, and about as
many men
are at work picking, boxing
and hauling; so the farm, as
remarked at first, is a busy camp
at present. The crop is picked and
shipped at the rate of a carload a
day, and will make from twelve to
fifteen carloads bringing Mr.
Stewart about $4,000. The girls
are paid
by Page & Son 4 cents per box
for wrapping and packing the
pears. They are camped in tents on
the farm.
The orchard is
an object lesson to
people interested in fruit growing
in Southern Oregon. The trees are
free from the scale, and the fruit
is free from the grub of the
codling
moth.
Capt. Teel and
R. S. Barclay, of
Ashland, visited the orchard last
Monday, and George W. Crowson, of
this place, and Mr. Sheffield of
Portland were there Tuesday. They
advise everyone who may be
inclined to grow discouraged over
the fruit
business, on account of the
orchard pests that have appeared
within the
past few years, to go and see the
clean trees and fruit of Stewart's
orchard. It shows that an orchard
may be kept free of the San Jose
scale, and that apples and pears
may be saved from damage of the
codling moth.
The Tidings
will have more
information in a future issue
concerning Mr. Stewart's
successful orchard management.Ashland
Tidings,
September 1, 1893, page
3

Nearly thirty
females have been employed at Hon. J.
H. Stewart's farm near Phoenix the
past few weeks, in wrapping and
packing Bartlett pears for the eastern
and northwestern markets. The product
of the entire orchard of sixty acres
has been purchased by F. H. Page &
Son at 1½ cents per pound and is of
the finest quality. As about fifteen
carloads will be shipped, Mr. Stewart
will receive about $4000 gross for his
pears. He is one of the most
prominent, painstaking and intelligent
horticulturists on the coast, and well
merits his success.
"Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September 8, 1893, page 3

H. F. Wood, the
popular contractor, is engaged in
building a nice residence for A. J.
Stewart and wife of Medford.
"Personal Mention," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September 8, 1893, page 3

Contractor Wood is pushing the
construction of the Stewart residence
in
west Medford and the same will soon be
ready for occupancy."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
September 8, 1893, page 3

Nearly thirty
females
have been employed at Hon. J. H.
Stewart's farm near Phoenix the past
few weeks, in wrapping and packing
Bartlett pears for the eastern and
northwestern markets. The product of
the entire orchard of sixty acres
has been purchased by F. H. Page &
Son at 1½ cents
per pound and is of the finest
quality. As about fifteen carloads
will
be shipped, Mr. Stewart will receive
about $4000 gross for his pears.
He is one of the most prominent,
painstaking and intelligent
horticulturists on the coast, and well
merits his success"Here and There,"
Democratic Times, September
8, 1893, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart will
realize $4000 from 60 acres of Bartlett
pears. The crop made about 15 carloads and
was gathered, packed and shipped without
expense to the grower."Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, September
29, 1893, page 3

J. H.
Stewart:--"Our pears are giving better
satisfaction in the East than
those of California. I received a letter
from Tennessee saying they had
received some of them and in the same
letter was an order for more.""Echoes from the Street,"Medford
Mail, September 29, 1893, page
2

Mr. Stewart, of Medford, will realize
$4000 from 60 acres of Bartlett
pears. The crop made about 15 carloads
and was gathered, packed and
shipped without expense to the
grocer.--Oregonian."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
September 29, 1893, page 3

Will Reap, he
who has
been engaged upon the J. H. Stewart
fruit farm for the past six years,
took Tuesday evening's train for
Chicago, to be absent six weeks."Purely Personal,"
Medford
Mail,
September 29, 1893, page 3

A. J. Stewart's new
residence, corner of
Tenth and F streets, is nearly
completed. It is an eight-room
residence, very nicely situated, is
very conveniently arranged and
tastily finished in the interior while
the outside is so arranged as to
present an imposing and pleasant
appearance. H. F. Wood did the
woodwork and our good friend, F. M.
Poe, is doing the plastering."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
October 6, 1893, page 3

Jay Guy Lewis,
superintendent of horticulture at the
World's Fair, says that the Oregon apples
are far ahead of any others exhibited
there. In speaking of a shipment from J.
H. Stewart of Medford precinct, he says
that for size, quality and color they
cannot be beaten."Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, October 27,
1893, page 3

Southern
Oregon Pears Are All
Right

From
the Rural
Northwest.The
statement
recently appeared in one of the
leading newspapers of this state
that
Oregon-grown Bartlett pears do not
stand shipment well unless packed
before they are fully grown.
Although this statement was made
by a
gentleman who ought to know what
he is talking about, the Rural
Northwest
is not inclined to accept
it as a fact. A great
many of the pears which were grown
in Oregon this year would not
stand
shipment well for the simple
reason that the trees had not been
properly sprayed with the Bordeaux
mixture and in consequence the
fruit
was attacked by fungus and made
ready to rot on the slightest
provocation. No such fruit should
ever be shipped out of the state.
On
the other hand, the Medford
Mail
reports that returns have
been received from the
several carloads of pears shipped
from that place and that in every
instance they were reported to
have reached their destination in
splendid shape. Messrs. Stewart
and Weeks & Orr, the
orchardists who raised these
pears, have the reputation of
caring for
their trees in the most thorough
manner, and they did not have to
pick
their pears before they were grown
to make them keep, even when they
were shipped to New York.Medford
Mail,
October 27, 1893, page 1

Medford
Apples at Chicago.

Below is a letter received
by Mr. J. H. Stewart from
the World's Fair
superintendent of horticulture
for Oregon:
J. H.
Stewart,
Medford,
Oregon.
Dear
Sir:--We received the shipment
of
fruit from you on the 10th
inst. and found it in prime
condition--in
fact it was packed perfectly
and could come in none other
than good
shape. Your variety was very
good, and size, quality and
color cannot
be equaled anywhere. The
judges of the department say,
and do not
hesitate to say, your
Jonathan, Hoover, Baldwin,
Monmouth and others
were the finest they have ever
seen. In this instance it is a
matter of
sixty or seventy years
experience in fruit, and it is
a feather in the
cap of apple culture in Oregon
to be the subject of such
favorable
comment. We are far in advance
of all competitors in all
fruits, and it
is through the efforts and
enterprise of our growers that
enables me to
make this statement. I wish to
thank you and the people of
Oregon for
their kind endeavors to assist
me here. With great
consideration, I am
yours truly,

JAY
GUY
LEWIS.

Medford
Mail,
October 27, 1893, page 2

We would be just
one
item short each week if we were not
called upon to make a correction of
the previous week. Last week we had
Bert Whitman buying 2000 boxes of
apples from his brother, J. H.
Whitman. The latter Mr. Whitman isn't
growing fruit but is instead attending
strictly to a good abstract and
law business. It was J. H. Stewart who
grew those apples."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
November 3, 1893, page 3

J. H. Stewart,
the
large orchardist, last Tuesday shipped a
carload of winter pears to St.
Louis. The gentleman, aside from having
harvested and shipped something
like fifteen carloads of pears, has grown
this year about fourteen
carloads of winter apples. He has already
shipped two carloads, one to
Seattle and one to Arizona. He has also
sold 2000 boxes to J. A.
Whitman, and the remainder will be kept
for a future market."All the Local News," Medford
Mail,
November 17, 1893, page 3

Miss Mina and
Jessie
Stoups, of this place, have earned a
good many dollars this summer
picking and packing fruit for J. H.
Stewart. They walk down and back
every day, a distance of two miles,
which shows the energy and pluck
the Phoenix girls have, and also
explains the reason why they are
sought from far and near by farmers,
doctors and even professors, and
if not by preachers, then preachers'
sons, who know that these are the
kind that make good wives."Phoenix Flashes," Medford
Mail,
November 24, 1893, page 2

Four carloads
of
apples are being shipped from Medford this
week. Two of them were
loaded at Jacksonville by Mr. Moore, and
billed to Butte City, Montana,
one from J. A. Whitman, billed to Dillon,
Mont., and one from J. H.
Stewart for Seattle."All the Local News," Medford
Mail,
November 24, 1893, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart of
Eden precinct shipped a carload of fine
winter pears to St. Louis, Mo. last week.
He is one of our most successful
fruit-growers, and has over a hundred
acres in orchard. This year he will
receive in the neighborhood of $20,000 for
his apples, prunes and pears. The example
he has set is certainly worthy of
emulation."Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, December 1,
1893, page 3

Herman Crowell of this
precinct and the second daughter of Hon.
J. H. Stewart of Eden precinct were united
in matrimony on Nov. 29th. Their many
friends tender congratulations and best
wishes, in which the Times
heartily joins."Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, December 1,
1893, page 3

He Has
Probably Changed His Mind.

From
the Rural
Northwest."The
Medford
Mail reports
that Mr. J. H. Stewart, the
well-known 'overproduction'
orchardist of
that place, has this year
harvested and shipped about 15
carloads of
pears and has also grown 14
carloads of apples. There hasn't
been any
appreciable lack of demand for the
kind of fruit which Mr. Stewart
places upon the market."
No person ought
to object to a
good-natured poke at his tender
spot when it is rounded off so
cleverly
as is the above. We will venture
the assertion that by this time
even
Mr. Stewart has his doubts as to
the possibility of an
overproduction
of fruit. So long as our fruit is
kept at the standard it has
already
attained, every acre of ground in
the Rogue River Valley may be
planted
and yet there will be no
overproduction. Our orchardists
need have
little fear of a decline in demand
so long as their already
established
good reputation is maintained.
Medford Mail, December 8,
1893, page 3

Hon. J. H.
Stewart of Eden precinct will ship
a carload of fine winter pears to
New York in a few days. He has a
large quantity of superior apples,
for which he is getting $1.10 per
box laid down in Medford. It is
evident that horticulture in
southern Oregon, when followed
intelligently and skillfully, pays
well. "Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
December 15, 1893, page 3

J. H. Stewart shipped a car of
his choicest apples to New
Orleans Wednesday.
Hon. J. H. Stewart,
of Eden precinct,
Jackson County, shipped a carload of
fine winter pears to St. Louis,
Mo., last week. He is a successful
fruitgrower, and has over 100 acres
in orchard. This year he will receive
in the neighborhood of $20,000
for his apples, prunes and pears.--Oregonian."All the Local
News," Medford
Mail,
December 15, 1893, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart of
Eden precinct made the Times a
pleasant call the forepart of the week. He
is just recovering from an attack of the
prevailing complaint, la grippe. Mr.
Stewart is one of the foremost
fruit-growers of the Pacific coast, and
has given the horticulturists of Jackson
County some valuable points on the proper
culture of fruit."Personal Mention," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, December
22, 1893, page 2

In making
mention of
the products of our fruit farms hereabouts
we must not lose sight of
the fact that F. M. Stewart, while not as
extensive a grower as
some, is a long ways from being a
producer of inferior
qualities. Last Saturday he brought to
Medford a few sample boxes of
his dried fruit which for excellency of
quality and neatness in packing
cannot be excelled, and we question if
equaled by more than a very few
of our most thoroughly schooled fruit men.
The varieties shown were the
Petite and silver prunes, pitted plums and
peeled peaches. These were
evaporated in a machine of Mr. Stewart's
own manufacture and are packed
in ten-, twenty- and forty-pound boxes."All the Local News," Medford
Mail,
December 22, 1893, page 3

Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Stewart left Sunday
morning for Victoria, New
Mexico. Mr. S. owns property in that
country and will undoubtedly
remain there for a considerable
time--perhaps return to Medford and
perhaps not. Their return will be
gladly chronicled by this paper. They
are the kind of people that help good,
thrifty towns."Purely Personal,"
Medford
Mail,
December 22, 1893, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart, who
has been appointed administrator of the
estate of Wm. Renken, deceased, elsewhere
publishes his first notice to creditors. "Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, December
29, 1893, page 3

A. J. Stewart and wife,
who left Medford for Victoria, New Mexico,
a short time ago, have arrived at their
destination, and will probably remain
there. "Personal Mention," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, January 11,
1894, page 3

Hon. J. H. Stewart of
Eden precinct called this week. He is
shipping two carloads of apples to Denver,
Colorado. "Personal Mention," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, January 18,
1894, page 3
J. H. Stewart, the
big orchardist, is
shipping two carloads of apples from
Phoenix to Denver, Colorado this
week. The bad roads between Mr.
Stewart's place and Medford is wholly
responsible for his shipping from
Phoenix."All the Local News," Medford
Mail,
January 19, 1894, page 3

Mr.
and Mrs. S. S. Strayer arrived in
Medford Friday night from Dallas
Center, Iowa. These people are old
acquaintances of J. D. Whitman and
are the foster parents of Will Reap,
he who is stopping at J. H.
Stewart's Eden Valley fruit farm. Mr.
and Mrs. Strayer will undoubtedly
remain here during the coming spring
and summer."Purely
Personal," Medford
Mail,
January 26, 1894, page 3

John Stubblefield, who
lived at the farm of Hon. J. H. Stewart in
Eden precinct and returned to Whitehall,
Illinois, was married in that town some
time since. "Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, February 1,
1894, page 3

J. H. Stewart
loaded a
car of apples at Medford last week to
be shipped to some eastern points."All the Local News," Medford
Mail,
February 9, 1894, page 3

F. M. Stewart put up
about 6,000 pounds of prunes at his farm
northwest of Phoenix last season. He packs
them in neat ten-pound boxes and gets the
top price for the product."Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, March 8,
1894, page 3

The
wonderful growth trees attain in
the Rogue River Valley in a single
season is indeed marvelous. I. L.
Hamilton left at this office
Saturday
two cuttings, one from a Winter
Nelis pear tree and one from a
Petite
prune tree, that measured each
nine feet, and all this length was
the
result of one year's growth. The
cuttings were from the orchard of
J.
H. Stewart."News of the City,"
Medford
Mail, March
16, 1894, page 3

Mr.
and Mrs. J. H.
Stewart returned Sunday from
their winter's stay in New
Mexico. A host
of friends there are here
who are pleased to welcome
them back to our
city."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, May
11, 1894, page 2

Mr. and Mrs. J.
H.
Stewart, and daughter Julia, returned
from San Francisco Saturday last.
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have been
attending the fair, and Miss Julia has
just completed a musical course of
study at Oakland. They were
accompanied by Mrs. O. Ferguson, of
Sacramento, who was a schoolmate of
both Mr. and Mrs. Stewart. The lady
will visit in the valley for some
time."Purely
Personal," Medford
Mail, June
22, 1894, page 3

F. M. Stewart, the orchardist, proves that while prune trees
attain a wonderful and rapid growth in the Rogue River Valley they at
the same time do a whole heap of producing. He brought to this office
last week a branch from one of his trees that had grown ten and a half
feet this season, and from the same tree, only four years old, he has
just gathered fifty pounds of fruit."News of the City," Medford Mail, October 19, 1894, page 3

J.
H. Stewart, of Medford, Rogue
River Valley, writes Page &
Son: "I shipped lately 23 boxes of
strictly fancy, four-tier Red
Canada
apples to the City of Mexico, per
express. They were ordered by Mr.
Valentine, of San Francisco. I
shipped him three boxes for his
own use
to San Francisco. and he ordered
23 of the same to the
superintendent
of Wells-Fargo Company at the City
of Mexico, a seven days' trip."
This
is a new apple that has not been
grown here hitherto, and is very
choice. It looks as though Mexico
might find a market for much of
our
choice fruit in the not-distant
future.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, January 16, 1895, page 6

SUCCESSFUL FRUIT GROWER.High Prices Paid in New York for Fruit Shipped by J. H. Stewart.

The Fruit Trade Journal, published
in New York, has the following to say of fruit shipped from Medford,
Oregon, by Mr. J. H. Stewart, the former well-known fruit grower of
Quincy:
Mr. J. H. Stewart, of Rogue River, furnished a car
of Beurre Clairgeau pears and astonished New Yorkers when sold. Lately
he furnished Page & Son a car of Winter Nelis pears that were sold
in New York for fabulous prices, because they were large and very fine.
He had cultivated and packed them so that they reached New York in the
best shape; discarded all small or inferior fruit, and sent only the
best. The result was that they sold for double the price a car brought
that were average pears, and not packed well. That car was very heavy,
much heavier loaded than the average, selling for over $2,000. They
paid for size, cleanliness and excellence. J. H. Stewart sprays his
trees, and his pears and apples have no insects, no fungus, no blight;
are extra large and extra fine. Such fruit goes on the tables of the
"nobs," and they pay extra to have the best. The man who can command
that trade will make money where merely ordinary fruit will hardly pay
at all. Excellence will always pay in fruit growing.The Quincy Morning Whig, Illinois, February 5, 1896, page 3

D. R. Hill shipped a carload of very fine apples to Butte,
Montana last week. J. H. Stewart also shipped a carload last week--to
Portland. Mr. Hill is this week wrapping and packing twenty boxes of
choice Red Cheeked Pippins to be shipped to Mr. Valentine, of the Wells
Fargo Express Company, at San Francisco."News of the City," Medford Mail, February 14, 1896, page 5

Next we
cross the
street, and come to D. R. Hill's home.
Mr. Hill is an extensive fruit
grower and while his house is not so
large as some, it is a very neat
and substantial one and in every way
adequate to the needs of himself
and happy family. J. H. Stewart is
also preparing to erect a fine home
on the same tract of land, which will
be another notable improvement of
Medford, and of which we will speak
later."Oakland [sic]--A
Medford
Suburb," Medford Mail, June
19, 1896, page 8

The rock for
the
foundation of A. J. Stewart's fine
new residence, to be built in
Oakdale addition to Medford, is on
the ground, and work will soon
begin
in the erection thereof."News of the
City," Medford
Mail, June
26,
1896, page 5

Orchardist J. H.
Stewart will ship about
1000 boxes of very fine
pears this week and
next. This is his entire
crop. Quite a drop from
twenty carloads last
year--but you keep your
eye on this, and all
other orchards in the
valley, next year."News of the
City," Medford
Mail, September
18,
1896, page 7

In our write-up of
Oakdale addition to
Medford last spring
we stated that when
J. H.
Stewart's new
residence was
completed we would
give it a more
extensive
notice. The house is
completed, and when
shown through it a
reporter
found it to be one
of the
best-appointed
residences in the
city. It is
a large, ten-room,
two-story house,
replete with all the
latest
approved heating and
ventilating
appliances. These
rooms are all very
commodious, with hot
and cold water in
each of them. At the
rear end of
the house he has a
good-sized room with
cement floor and a
perfect
drainage system in
which is sunk a
large cistern, from
which water can
be used for drinking
and cooking
purposes. From the
large windmill
which he has has
erected are pipes
running to every
room in the house
with sufficient
pressure to throw
water, should it be
needed, to
extinguish
conflagration,
should any occur. In
all of these rooms
are
hose and hose
attachments ready
for use. The whole
house is a model of
neatness, and the
workmanship shows
unmistakable
evidence of a master
mechanic hand. The
cost of the
residence is about
three thousand
dollars."News
of the City," Medford
Mail, November
6,
1896, page 7

Weeks & Orr and
F. M. Stewart are
loading a car with
evaporated prunes this
week. The
former will load 16,000
pounds and the latter
8,000 pounds, which will
be shipped to Chicago,
where a fair price is
being paid. That the
fruit
will bring the top notch
in price no person
doubts who knows of the
excellent manner in
which these gentlemen
put up their fruit."News of the
City," Medford
Mail, November
13,
1896, page 7

J. H. Stewart, Jr.
met
with quite a
misfortune last
week. He was
employed in laying
shakes on
the roof of the
horse stables at the
fair grounds and
when carrying a
bundle of shakes
across the roof he
stepped on a weak
board which
broke, letting him
through the roof.
His chin and
cheekbone struck the
roof board, severing
the skin quite
badly--so bad that
the wound
required stitching."A Grist of Local Haps and
Mishaps," Medford
Mail, April
23, 1897, page 7

C. E. Stewart
reports
his almond orchard well filled with
fruit this season. He has two
thousand trees in bearing, and the
promise for a big crop is very
flattering. His other fruit trees are
equally as well filled. Ben Davis
apple trees, he states, have fully
three crops on them, two-thirds of
which will have to be taken off. All
apple, peach and pear trees will
need thinning to considerable extent.
His prune trees will need no
thinning because of being young and
very vigorous.
Two years ago The Mail
made
several mentions of the immense
Bartlett pear crop of Hon. J. H.
Stewart. That season he picked and
shipped to eastern points eighteen
carloads of pears. This year he
estimates he will ship not less than
twenty-five carloads. His trees are
larger now and are capable of
carrying considerable more fruit than
they did two years ago."A Grist of Local Haps and
Mishaps," Medford
Mail, May
7, 1897, page 2

C. E.
Stewart, of
Medford, says his almond orchard
is well filled with fruit this
season.
He has 200 trees in bearing, and
the promise for a big crop is very
flattering.

"State
News,"
Daily
Capital
Journal, Salem, May 11,
1897, page 2

Alexander
Stewart died
at the home of his daughter-in-law,
about three miles east of Medford,
Wednesday, May 12, aged 88 years and
10 months.
"State News," Daily
Capital
Journal, Salem, May 18, 1897,
page 2

The almond orchard of C. E. Stewart of
Eden precinct, which comprises about 2000 five-year-old trees, is
reported to present one of the prettiest orchard scenes in the valley
with its well-loaded and well-cared-for trees, and from present
prospects ought to yield the owner a fair return for his industry."Brevities," Ashland Tidings, June 7, 1897, page 3

J. H.
Stewart is making
ready to ship apples next week. He
estimates he will have twenty-five
carloads of this kind of fruit.
Weeks & Orr are figuring on
their crop for about twelve
carloads and will commence
shipping next
week."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, October 28, 1897,
page 7

W.
Stewart has sued the Southern Oregon Packing Co. before Justice Jones'
court, in Medford, for $230.35, alleged to be due for 30 head of hogs,
and obtained judgment for the amount with costs."Brevities," Ashland Tidings, December 9, 1897, page 3
Miss Junie Stewart,
youngest daughter of
Hon. J. H. Stewart, who has been sick
for several weeks with
typhoid-pneumonia, died on Friday. She
possessed many estimable
qualities, and her death is generally
regretted."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, January
3, 1898, page 3

Jas. Stewart has
been
making a tour of the valley lately,
collecting for the Collier Book Co.
He is succeeding nicely."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, January
24, 1898, page 3

J. H. and C. E.
Stewart each shipped a
carload of dried fruit to New York
from Eden precinct last week."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, January
27,
1898, page 3

REAL
ESTATE
TRANSFERS.

The
following deeds have been recorded in
the office of the county recorder
since the last report of The
Times:
J. H. Stewart to A. J. Weeks, 54.04
acres in twp 38 s, r1w . . . 2161.60Excerpt,
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, March
3,
1898, page 2

Jas. Stewart, a
rising young barrister,
has been nominated for justice of the
peace by the reform
forces. "Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, May
12, 1898, page 3

Jas. Stewart is our
new justice of the
peace. He is the youngest man ever
elected to fill a public office in
Jackson County, being a few months
over 21 years of age."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
June 9, 1898, page 2

Mrs.
E.
Stewart has gone to Klamath County to
spend the summer with her
sons."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
June 23, 1898, page 3

MEDFORD, Or., Sept. 12.--The
fire of Sunday was
followed by the burning of two
barns about midnight last night in
another part of the city. The
barns were the property of Arthur
Wilson
and A. J. Stewart, standing on
opposite sides of an alley. The
fire was
undoubtedly the work of
incendiaries. There was no
insurance on either.
An extra force of night watchmen
will be put on at once.Daily
Capital
Journal, Salem,
September 12, 1898, page 1

W.
N. Welch, of Talent, was in the city
Monday. The gentleman has been
living on the J. H. Stewart place, but
next week himself and family
will leave for Wasco County, this
state, where they will reside."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, September
30, 1898, page 6

Johnny
Stewart has quit the brewery and has
taken a position with
Boyden & Nicholson."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, September
30, 1898, page 7

J. H.
Stewart, of this
city, Fred Page, of Portland, and
Senator Stratton, of Oakland,
Calif.,
are up on Rogue River this week
deer hunting. Upon their return
they
will hunt quail in the valley for
a few days. Mr. Stewart has
recently
acquired a quarter section of land
on Rogue River, and it is there he
is camping [with] his party.Medford
Mail,
October 7, 1898, page 6
Stewart's
property straddled the
Rogue River within the current
boundaries of Shady Cove. F. S.
Stratton, a
prominent attorney of San
Francisco, and F. H. Page, of
the firm of
Page & Son, of Portland,
were guests of Hon. J. H.
Stewart a
few days the past week, and,
accompanied by Mr. Stewart and
his son, W.
H. Stewart, went into the Big
Butte country for a day or two
of hunting
and fishing."Personal," Medford
Monitor-Miner, October
13, 1898, page 3

Hon J. H.
Stewart will
gather enough apples from his
extensive orchards in Eden precinct to
make 25 carloads; and Weeks & Orr
will have about 12 carloads
for shipment. They represent a
considerable sum of money."Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
November 3, 1898, page 3

REAL
ESTATE
TRANSFERS.

The
following deeds have been recorded in
the office of the county recorder
since the last report of the Times:
Andrew Griffin to J. H. Stewart; lots
17 and 18, blk 13, Medford . . .
2200.00Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
November 7, 1898, page 3
Choice apples are
selling for fancy
figures, there being a big shortage
throughout the country. J. H.
Stewart, Weeks & Orr and others
are getting $1.25 a box for
Newtown pippins and other favorite
varieties f.o.b. the railroad."Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
November 14, 1898, page 3

The material for
the new bank building
is being put on the ground. Hon. J. H.
Stewart is superintending
operations."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
November 14, 1898, page 2

J. Hugger was in
Jacksonville one day last week. He
informs us that Hon. J. H. Stewart,
who raises large quantities of very
fine apples, has shipped a number
of carloads this season, several of
which went to England. They
commanded $1.25 a box."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
December 19, 1898, page 3

Hon.
J. H. Stewart has sold his fine fruit
orchard in Eden precinct to
Gordon Voorhies of Portland for a
consideration of $20,000."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
April 17, 1899, page 3 The
work on
the Stewart block is
progressing rapidly. The tower
is being erected
and the building is nearing
enclosure. That it is a great
addition to
Medford as a beautiful piece
of architecture is putting it
very mildly.
G.
Voorhies, of Portland, who has
purchased the Stewart fruit
farm, is in Medford this week.
Mr. Voorhies
is highly pleased with our
valley and with his new
investment. He will
remain here for an indefinite
time attending to business,
after which
he will return to Portland for
his family, who will reside at
their new
home in Southern Oregon."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, April
21, 1899, page 7

Capt. G. Voorhies, the
gentleman who recently
purchased the J. H.
Stewart orchard ranch, has
already commenced making
improvements about the
residence and grounds
surrounding. He has
purchased from C. H.
Elmore a new Star
windmill,
and the same will be put
in position at once. A
large tower for the
mill will be built, and in
this will be two water
tanks; one of these
will be of 2000 gallons
capacity and the other
3000. The cost of the
mill, tanks and tower will
be $500. Pipes will be run
from the tanks to
all parts of the house and
grounds. Aside from these
improvements
several changes are being
made in the arrangement of
rooms in the
house. Perry Stewart is
doing the carpenter work."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail,
April 28, 1899,
page 7

Gordon
Voorhies, who
purchased J. H. Stewart's fine,
large orchard in Eden precinct,
has
been spending a few days in
Jacksonville. The
Times is
pleased to learn that he will
become a resident of our valley."Personal Mention," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
May 1, 1899, page 3

Herman J.
Burrell of
Portland, a brother of Mrs. G.
Voorhies of Eden precinct, whose
husband
purchased the Stewart farm not
long ago, died last Monday, aged
30
years. He had been in poor health
for some time."Local Notes," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, June 8, 1899,
page 3

A NEW
BANKING HOUSE.Medford Bank Opened its
Doors for Business Tuesday
Morning--
A Mention of the Building--Bank
Officers Elected.

On Tuesday morning of this
week, June 20th, the
Medford Bank opened its doors for
business.
For months past
there has been under
course of construction one of the
best, if not the best brick
structure
in our blooming little city--in
this is situated the Medford
Bank--for
this purpose the building was
constructed. Its first floor was
arranged
in every detail in such manner as
best suited to banking business.
The
interior of this structure is a
model of neatness and grandeur
throughout, while the exterior is
as well lacking in none of these.
It
is a structure the city has every
reason to be proud of from the
foundation to the uppermost point.
It is a structure so solidly built
that centuries of time and use
cannot wear away. The building is
25x86
feet in size and two stories high.
It is built of brick with sand
rock
at both top and bottom of each of
the several pillars and at door
and
window sides and corners. The two
large front windows are of the
best
French plate glass. Its every
bearing is as solid as rock, lime,
cement
and the best of wood can make.
This building is located at the
corner
of Seventh and B streets. The
entrance to the banking room is
from
Seventh Street through a massive
door of the best sugar pine with
plate
glass panels. Once inside this
lobby or waiting room the eye is
at once
riveted to the counters and office
fittings. One glance at these and
the master hand of Weeks Bros. and
their corps of able wood workers
is
plainly in evidence. The
Mail
will venture the
assertion that there is not a
better piece of work of its kind
in any city on the coast. The
counters
are of solid oak with curly ash
for trimmings and panels. This is
surmounted with a solid oak
railing set with frosted and
beveled French
plate glass. At the back end of
the counter is a good-sized room
set
apart from the banking room proper
and will be for use by bank
officials. This is divided from
the other room with oak and glass
partitions. Still beyond this is a
directors' room, 16x24 feet in
size,
and beyond this is a 20x24-foot
room which will be used
undoubtedly for
store purposes. A large safety
vault has been provided for the
bank's
treasure and valuable papers. This
has cold air ventilation and is
positively fireproof. Inside this
is a Diebold safe--a double timer,
of
the best of steel, and burglar
proof.
The upstairs,
or second story, is
divided into suites of rooms--six
in number. A hallway extends the
entire length of the building on
the second story and each of these
rooms opens into it. These rooms
face on B Street, and from each of
them there projects a large bay
window. They are finished in sugar
pine, and in each of them are
marble wash basins and city water
attachments. The first suite of
rooms--fronting on Seventh and B
streets--has been rented by Drs.
Keene and Burnett, for dental
parlors.
The next ones by County Judge W.
S. Crowell; the next will be a
physician's office, and the last,
or rear ones, D. T. Sears has
secured
for sleeping apartments. The
building throughout is provided
with
electric lights. The ceilings of
the first story are fourteen feet
high
and those of the second story ten
feet high.
This beautiful,
massive and very
conveniently arranged structure is
owned by Hon. J. H. Stewart, the
well-known orchardist, and who,
parenthetically let us state, has
made
a fortune by growing fruit in
Southern Oregon. The building,
which cost
upwards of $8000, was put up
purposely for the Medford Bank's
use, and
every detail of its construction
was superintended by Mr. Stewart.
The
architect who designed the
building was Arthur Weeks, of San
Francisco.
G. W. Priddy did the brick work,
G. Diel and F. M. Stewart the
carpenter work, J. W. Richardson
the plastering, J. E. Toft the
painting and oil finish, and J. H.
Butler the wainscot papering.

ORGANIZATION
OF
MEDFORD BANK.

As
per previous arrangement those
gentlemen who are now
stockholders in
the Medford Bank met in the
new bank building last
Saturday and
perfected the organization of
the bank association.
The
officers elected were J. H.
Stewart,
president; H. E. Ankeny, vice
president; J. E. Enyart,
cashier;
directors, J. H. Stewart, H.
E. Ankeny, R. H. Whitehead, W.
S. Crowell,
W. B. Roberts, Horace Pelton,
W. F. Towne. The stockholders,
other than
those whose names appear
above, are P. B. O'Neil, G. W.
Isaacs, Ben
Haymond, W. H. Bradshaw and C.
C. Beekman. Capital stock of
the bank,
$50,000. These are all
representative business and
moneyed men of
Jackson County, and this fact
places the new institution on
a solid
financial footing.Medford
Mail,
June 23, 1899, page
6

The Medford
Book Store, which is
conducted by Jas. A. Stewart,
our popular justice of the
peace, has
been stocked with the latest
and best in stationery of all
kinds,
stylish papeteries, writing
materials, etc., in addition
to the usual
standard supplies. Mr. S.
spares no pains to please, and
succeeds
admirably."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September
21, 1899, page 1

W. H.
Stewart of the Earl Fruit
Co. last
week finished shipping 15
carloads of Bartlett pears
from the orchards
where they [were]
purchased, near Medford
and Phoenix. The fruit
netted
the growers $1 per box."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
October
2, 1899, page 3

F. M.
Stewart is again local
reporter
for the Mail,
vice
Earl Van Antwerp. He is the
right man in the right place."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
October
16, 1899, page 2
The
larger orchardists are so
encouraged by the prices
received for their
products that the acreage has
been materially increased
during the past
year. A hasty glance at a few
of the large orchards will
give some idea
of the extent of the fruit
industry in the valley. The
crop of Weeks
& Orr yielded 550 boxes of
apples, 2000 boxes of pears,
2000
boxes of peaches, 40,000
pounds of prunes, and 10,000
pounds of dried
apples. Captain G. Voorhies
will dispose of 6000 boxes of
apples, 9500
boxes of pears, and 65,000
pounds of prunes.
G. A. Gregory, "Jackson
County,"
Morning Oregonian,
Portland, January 1, 1900,
page 3

Died
at Los Angeles.

MEDFORD, Or., Jan.
16.--Mrs. A. J. Stewart,
mother
of Mrs. W. B. Stevens, of
Albany, and merchant F. K.
Deuel, of Medford,
died after a short
illness, this morning, at
Los Angeles. She had been
with her husband in New
Mexico for some time
previous, and had just
gone to Los Angeles for
treatment.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland,
January 17, 1900, page 6

The will of Mrs. Mary A. Stewart
of Jackson County,
who died at Los Angeles, Calif.,
recently, has been admitted to
probate. The estate is valued at
$21,000, and the cash is willed to
the
children of the deceased--F. K.
Deuel of Medford and Mrs. W. B.
Stevens
of Albany--and Fred. D. McCulloch,
her grandson. The two first-named
get $6000 each and the third $5000.
The real property, etc., is
bequeathed to Capt. A. J. Stewart,
husband of the deceased.

W. H. Stewart
had a
very successful operation of skin
grafting performed on his right arm
on Tuesday of last week, by Drs. Jones
& Shearer. When he was
but three years old his hands and arms
were badly scalded, since which
time no natural skin has grown on
them. Twenty-seven pieces of skin
were taken from his shoulder for this
recent operation, and these were
grafted to his right forearm. The
operation was very successful, each
of the grafts having united with the
flesh and after only a little more
than a week's time is nearly healed
over--both where grafted and where
the grafts were taken away.
"City Happenings," Medford
Mail, March
9, 1900,
page 7

A successful operation was performed
last week on W. H. Stewart by Dr.
Jones & Shearer, consisting of
removing twenty-seven pieces of
skin from his shoulder and grafting
them on his forearm. Mr. Stewart
was badly scalded when but three years
of age, and no natural skin had
ever grown on the arm.

Mrs. E.
Stewart, mother
of Judge Jas. Stewart, was
injured quite seriously on
Wednesday of last
week from a fall, and is still
unable to move about much.
Dillon Hill
shipped another carload of
Southern Oregon red apples to
Portland this week. This is the
last
shipment of his '99 crop."Additional
Local," Medford
Mail, March
16, 1900,
page 2

F. M.
Stewart and A. H.
Chessmore have joined issues and
are now doing business as the
Southern
Oregon Real Estate and
Employment Agency. They have
rented office rooms
near F. M. Wilson's bakery, and
Mr. Stewart is there installed
as
manager of the agency. Both
these gentlemen are honorable
citizens of
our town and will undoubtedly
get a share of the business.
They propose
getting out a descriptive
pamphlet of the Rogue River
Valley for use in
supplying information to
prospective locators. In another
column of
this paper they have taken space
in which they invite patronage."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail, March
23, 1900, page 7

A. H. Chessmore and F. M.
Stewart have opened a real
estate office and employment
agency in Medford.

We
unintentionally
omitted to mention last week the
arrival of a girl baby at the
home of
Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Stewart. The
date of the arrival of this
young lady
was March 17th--St. Patrick's
Day.

"Additional
Local,"
Medford Mail, March
30,
1900, page 6

There is a
possibility
of a mixup in voting for Justice
of the Peace in Medford precinct.
The
Republican nominee is Mr. F. M.
Stewart, who until the last three
years
was a farmer and orchardist in
Eden precinct, since which time he
has
been a resident of Medford engaged
most of the time as bookkeeper in
the Mail
office--now
of the real estate and employment
agency of Stewart &
Chessmore. He is an old soldier
and a member of Chester A. Arthur
G.A.R. post of Medford. He is an
honest gentleman, a respected
citizen
and is well qualified to fill the
office. His opponent is Mr. James
Stewart, a young man. Don't get
the names mixed. Make no
mistake--vote
for F. M. Stewart, the Republican
nominee.Medford
Mail,
May 25, 1900, page 2

A. J.
Stewart returned to Medford
last
week from his winter's stay in
California and New Mexico. The
gentleman
was quite ill during the
winter but has now entirely
recovered his
usual good health. He will
probably remain hereabouts
during the coming
summer, looking after his
interests.
"Purely Personal," Medford
Mail,
April 20, 1900, page 6

Gold Bricks.

President Stewart, of the Medford Bank, called us in Saturday to look
at their display of gold bricks from the Sterling mine. On a table in
the center of the office was piled up seven large gold bricks,
representing a cash value of $17,000. On the same table was a pile of
twenties to the value of some $13,000, making a total valuation of a
little over $30,000. The gold from the Sterling mine was only that
which had accumulated in the sluice boxes and which are cleaned up
about once each month, the general cleanup taking place later on when
the season's run is over. As this has been a good year for placer
mining, it is expected the Sterling's "cleanup" will amount to some
$150,000, while the other placer mines will show a large increase here
this year.Medford Enquirer, April 27, 1900, page 5

Hon. J. H. Stewart of Medford,
who owns a body of land
on upper Rogue River, has started
a big orchard there, and will soon
have 80 acres planted in pear
trees.
Dillon Hill, a
prominent fruit grower of
Pooh Bah precinct, was in
Jacksonville yesterday,
contracting for the
delivery of pears for domestic use
at two cents a pound.

Hon. and
Mrs. J. H.
Stewart, Judge Crowell and Mr.
and Mrs. H. M. Crowell were up
at the
Stewart summer retreat on
Rogue River last week having a
delightful
time in that especially
favored and most beautiful
spot in Southern
Oregon's grand panorama of
exquisite scenery--where wild
deer plead
with the gunman for execution
and mountain trout make a
practice of
flirting with the fish line
flies--and all this from
choice."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, September
7, 1900, page 6

A Bryan club with a
large membership was
organized in Medford Sept. 1st. The
following officers were elected:
President, J. R. Wilson;
vice-president, E. P. Hammond;
secretary, Jas.
Stewart; executive committee, J. A.
Whitman, R. P. Little, J. G.
Hodges. The club meets the second and
third Fridays in each month."Medford Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September 10, 1900, page 2

Oregon
Red Apples Go
Everywhere.

Hon. J. H. Stewart has done
much to establish a
reputation for Oregon fruit in
almost all countries of the known
world.
His fruit has in years agone been
eaten in London, Liverpool,
Calcutta,
Hong Kong, Glasgow, Paris, and we
truthfully say, we think, in every
important city in the United
States and Canada. He has
established this
reputation by growing only the
very choicest fruits and in
packing them
in the most careful and
painstaking manner. For years Mr.
Stewart has
packed and shipped, each season,
several hundred boxes of both
pears
and apples for J. J. Valentine,
president of the Wells, Fargo
Express
Company, these addressed to
officials of the company and to
his friends
in all parts of the United States
and Canada. This year Mr.
Valentine's
order is for 170 boxes of Winter
Nelis pears and over a thousand
boxes
of apples. An order is now here
for the pear and part of the apple
shipments. These boxes will all be
labeled and shipped, with few
exceptions, one box to an
individual and go to nearly as
many different
cities as there are boxes sent. An
idea of the range of shipments can
be gotten when we give a list of a
few of the cities to which they
go,
namely: Chicago; Portland, Oregon;
Portland, Me.; New York City;
Galveston, Texas; St. Paul, Minn.;
New Haven, Conn.; Montreal,
Canada;
Englewood, N.J.; Boston, Mass.;
Washington, D.C., and hundreds of
other
eastern cities. Several years ago
Mr. Valentine sent to his eastern
friends boxes of California nuts,
but the growers, after a time,
began
gouging him on prices and
flim-flamming in quality, and he
switched to
Oregon fruits and for a number of
years has paid his compliments in
Southern Oregon products. Mr.
Stewart charges Mr. Valentine no
more
than the fruit will bring
elsewhere in the market, and in
all his
shipments no inferior or
disease-infected fruit has been
packed.
Nothing could more substantially
advertise Oregon than the sending
of
this fruit broadcast throughout
the East, and to Mr. Stewart
belongs
the credit for having made it
possible for us to so advertise.Medford
Mail, October
19, 1900, page 3

A. J. Stewart left
Monday morning for El
Paso, Texas, where he
has large interests
and
where he will spend
the winter, returning
to Medford next
spring, as
has been his wont to
do for several years.
He is a splendid
gentleman,
and his comings are
always welcomed by our
townspeople.Medford
Mail, October
19, 1900, page 6

C.
E. Stewart, the
orchardist, is one of the
most fortunate men in this
whole land, and if
there is cold turkey to be
had it is almost always
shied his way. The
prune crop of Southern
Oregon has pretty nearly
all been sold at prices
on a basis of from four
and a half to five cents,
but it remained for
Mr. Stewart to put the
finishing touches on and
"bull" the market, as
it were, until it suited
his fancy--and his fancy
was suited last week
when he sold his prunes
for six and one-half cents
per pound f.o.b.
Medford. This price was on
a basis of 40s to 50s--of
which Mr. Stewart
has a considerable amount,
but one condition was that
they all be
petite. The purchase was
made by New York parties,
and the fruit is now
being packed for shipment.
He has already shipped one
carload to
eastern parties, for which
he received six cents. He
has remaining one
full carload. The price
received by other growers
was so much in
advance of what they had
been getting previous
years that they were
well satisfied--and
willing to let the local
buyers make a little
margin."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, November 30, 1900,
page 7

Hon. J. H.
Stewart returned Tuesday from
another trip to Salem, where he
has been making a red-hot fight
against
some of the provisions of the
proposed new charter. Mayor
Crowell and
attorney Vawter have been camping
on the scene of action. The
sympathy
of the community is with Mr.
Stewart."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
January 31, 1901, page 5

There is
considerable of a rumpus over
the adoption of the proposed
charter of Medford, now before the
legislature, principally because
it intends to enlarge the
boundaries
of our town and make citizens of
some who do not wish it. Mayor
Crowell
and W. I. Vawter have been at
Salem, advocating the passage of
the new
incorporation act, and were met by
a foeman worthy of their steel in
Hon. J. H. Stewart, who objects to
being arbitrarily made one of
Medford's citizens."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
January 31, 1901, page 7

A warmly
contested fight over the
proposed Medford charter was
one of the events of the week.
J. H.
Stewart in opposition, and
attorney W. I. Vawter and
mayor W. S.
Crowell in favor of the
charter, indulged in an
interesting discussion
of its provisions,
particularly that section
extending to the boundary
line so as to include Mr.
Stewart's residence in South
Medford, in the
corporation limits of the
city. The bill, with the
exception of section
96, relating to county roads
and bridges inside the
corporate limits of
the town, was endorsed by the
Jackson County delegation, and
will come
up for final consideration
sometime this week.
"Legislative News," Medford
Mail, February
1, 1901, page 2

The first
hot fight of
the session in the House took
place Thursday night over the
Medford
charter. Hedges of Clackamas led
the opposition prompted by
attorney A. N. Soliss of
Jacksonville, and tried to have
the
charter, which came up for final
consideration at this time,
referred
to the committee on corporations,
which was defeated. Representative
Stewart led the fight for the
charter, and able speeches were
made by
the other members of the Jackson
County delegation, Messrs. Briggs
and
Carter, in its support. The bill
went to a vote, and a call of the
House was demanded by the
opposition, with the result that
it was
passed by a vote of 39 to 16. A
copy of the same charter was
introduced
in the upper house by Senator
Cameron Thursday afternoon and
passed
under a suspension of the rules,
and in 15 minutes' time. It was a
splendid victory for the Jackson
County delegation. It was a
tropical
fight over the passage of this
Medford charter. When, after an
hour and
a half's weary routine in passing
a number of charter bills that had
no
opposition, the clerk called up
Representative Briggs' House Bill
No.
30, the expectant ones who had
come to see the fight aroused to
attention and were not
disappointed. W. I. Vawter, Judge
Crowell and
other Jackson County people were
on the Jackson County delegation
side
of the house, while A. N. Soliss
was entrenched opposite, behind
and
prompting Representative Hedges of
Clackamas. On the call of the bill
Representative Hedges gained the
floor, moved that the bill be
referred
to the Committee on Cities and
Towns, and proceeded to make a
speech
against the passage of the bill.
This brought Representative
Matthew
Stewart to his feet, who made one
of his forcible speeches and was
followed by Representative Carter.
During the latter's speech the
Speaker decided remarks out of
order and called for a vote on the
motion to refer, which resulted in
a tie. The speaker voting against
re-referment, the bill was put on
its final passage and Hedges again
took the floor and with maps in
hand proceeded to tell the
representatives of the outrage of
taking in a strip of land within
the
corporate limits of Medford by the
proposed charter, claiming that
the
thing was done in the dark and
made an eloquent plea against the
bill.
Hon. Matthew Stewart again got the
floor, and in an impassioned
speech
pled for the passage of the bill
and claimed that the real
antagonism
to the charter was J. H. Stewart,
who sought to evade paying taxes
on
property which would have all the
benefits granted by the city
government in the way of sidewalk,
lights, etc. He read affidavits
from
reputable citizens of Medford
showing that a meeting called to
protest against the charter held
in Medford was not attended by any
number of representative citizens.
At the end of Mr. Stewart's speech
it was plain to see that he had
captured the House and the bill
would
pass. Hon. E. D. Briggs followed
and talked for the passage of the
bill. A call of the House was
demanded, after which the question
was
called, and the bill carried by a
vote of 38 to 16, on the
announcement
of which much applause was heard.
J. H. Stewart made a hard fight
against this charter bill and
enlisted considerable talent in
opposition to it."Senator Makers Take Time,"
Ashland
Tidings,
February 4, 1901, page
2 Quite a
number of the
orchardists hereabouts have
purchased gasoline engines
with which to
furnish power to operate their
spraying pumps. The Olwell
boys
experimented with one last
year and found it to be a
great saving in
labor and added proficiency to
the service. The gentlemen who
have made
recent purchases are Messrs.
Weeks & Orr., C. E.
Stewart, Capt.
G. Voorhies, J. A. Whitman,
John Gore and Olwell Bros. The
Mail has also
purchased one, of the greater
horsepower than the spray
engines, for
use in operating its presses."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail,
February 15, 1901, page 7

A real
estate deal of
magnitudinal proportions was made
on Tuesday of this week, wherein
Hon.
J. H. Stewart, president of the
Bank of Medford, acquires the
Fordyce
farm of 160 acres, located just
southwest of Medford. The
consideration
was $10,000, for which amount Mr.
Stewart presented his check upon
the
signing of the transfer papers.
The property is well adapted to
fruit
raising, for which purpose the
purchase was made. Seventy acres
of the
land will be planted to
Bartlett pears, and during the
next
two years thirty acres of the
celebrated Newtown pippin apples
will be
set out. His son-in-law, Dillon
Hill, will have charge of the
property,
and will move his family thereto
as soon as convenient. Mr. Stewart
has
made a flattering success in fruit
raising since he has resided in
this
county, and it is largely due to
his efforts and encouragement that
the
fruit industry in the Rogue River
Valley has gained the enviable
position it has. That he will
repeat the success he attained in
that
business in former years can
scarcely be doubted, and since
each success achieved in this, one
of our greatest industries,
attracts
favorable attention to our fertile
little valley it is of more than
passing interest to know that a
gentleman of such keen business
attainments has decided to again
interest himself in this line of
husbandry."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, February
22, 1901, page 7

F. M.
Stewart, the real
estate man of Medford, and
another gentleman were out the
first of the
week looking at some of the
fine farms in this section."Eagle Point Eaglets,"
Medford
Mail,
March 1, 1901, page 5

Captain, Judge
or Mayor
Crowell--whichever you please--who
was instrumental in having Hon. J.
H. Stewart's property placed
within the corporate limits of
Medford,
has been circumvented after all.
Mr. Stewart, having purchased the
Fordyce farm, across the road from
the premises annexed, will make
that
his headquarters in the future and
move the buildings on the Hill
place
thither. Old Windy has a decided
weakness for throwing down those
whom
he should serve most."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
March 7, 1901, page 4

Hon. J.
H.
Stewart will this season plant 60
acres of the Fordyce place,
situated
near Medford, in Bartlett pears.
He will next put 40 acres in
Newtown
pippins."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
March 7, 1901, page 5

J. H.
Stewart today
purchased the fruit orchard of A.
C. Fordyce, located just south of
Medford. Consideration, $10,000."Medford Brevities," Morning
Oregonian, March
30, 1901, page 4 C. E.
Stewart, the
orchardist, reports that his almond
crop has not been injured
materially by the recent frosts. There
still remains at least
two-thirds of a crop--possibly more.
Part of his orchard is by far too
heavily loaded with bloom, while in
other parts there is a good half a
crop. His peaches have enough bloom
remaining to make an average crop.
These same conditions prevail over the
most part of the valley as
regards the earlier blooming fruit.
The apple and pear blooms were not
advanced enough to be damaged at all."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail,
April 12, 1901, page 7

Contrary to
expectations, the valley has been
visited by heavy frosts during the
past few days which have
materially damaged the fruit crop
in some
sections of the surrounding
country. The pear crop has
suffered the
greatest damage. The orchards of
Weeks & Orr, Clint Stewart and
G. Voorhies were affected to a
greater extent than the orchards
nearer
Medford. This is due to the fact
that a heavy fog settled around
Medford Saturday and Sunday
mornings, which protected the
orchards
within the limits of its
visitations. It is to be hoped
that future
developments will demonstrate that
the injury done is not so
extensive
as at present appears. In view of
the events derogatory to the fruit
interest during the past week it
is extremely fortunate that we
have
had a late, backward spring which
precluded the too-early awakening
of
the fruit buds, in which case the
fruit crop of the whole county
would
have been jeopardized."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, April
26, 1901, page 7

J. H.
Stewart and
Dillon Hill have just
completed the work of planting
to pears fifty
acres of the Fordyce farm,
which they purchased last
spring. Next
winter they will plant several
acres more of this land to
apples.
J. H.
Stewart has been spending a
week
at his upper Rogue river
summer resort, where he has
been making a
number of improvements."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, May
24, 1901, page 7

The annual
meeting of the board
of directors of the Medford
bank was held in Medford on
Monday of this
week. The books of the bank,
and all the institution's
transactions
during the year were carefully
looked into, and everything
was declared
to be in a very satisfactory
condition. The officers
elected were H. E.
Ankeny, president; J. H.
Stewart, vice president; J. E.
Enyart,
cashier; M. L. Alford,
assistant cashier. Mr.
Stewart, who has been the
bank's president since its
organization, two years ago,
declined a
reelection, owing to other
business which requires his
personal
attention. The stockholders of
the bank are H. E. Ankeny, J.
H.
Stewart, C. C. Beekman, R. H.
Whitehead, Horace Pelton, Ben
Haymond,
James Pelton, W. H. Bradshaw
and J. E. Enyart."City
Happenings,"
Medford Mail, June 14,
1901, page 7

G. W. Kincaid,
of Peyton, this county,
was in our Hub City the first of
the week. The gentleman is farming
the
J. H. Stewart ranch up on Rogue
River."Purely
Personal,"
Medford Mail, July
19, 1901, page 6

F. E.
Payne:--"Nothing new; nothing
doing out my way. As a matter [of
fact] I don't expect much doing
for a
few years yet. I'm just waiting
for my forty-acre apple orchard to
get
to doing business. The trees are
doing well, and in a very short
time
I'll have an orchard to be proud
of. Oh, that land was built
especially
for growing trees. J. H. Stewart
has put out fifty acres of pears
on
the Fordyce place, which joins my
land, and next winter he expects
to
plant another forty-acre tract to
yellow Newtown apples.""City
Happenings,"
Medford Mail, July
19, 1901, page 7
Geo. Kincaid,
who has charge of J. H.
Stewart's Ranch on upper Rogue
River, was in Medford last week."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
July 25, 1901, page 4

A. J. (Bud)
Hamlin has
sold his land, situated a few
miles this side of Phoenix and
containing
about 260 acres, to Capt. A. A.
Voorhies of Portland, who is the
present owner of the Stewart
orchards adjoining. The price paid
was
$9000.
"Local Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
August 1, 1901, page 5

Bud Hamlin has sold
his farm of 269 acres, in Eden
precinct, to Captain Voorhies for
$9400. The property joins Mr.
Voorhies' land on the west and will
undoubtedly be set to orchard by that
gentleman. It is good orchard land,
better if anything than the 10 acres
of orchard which Mr. Voorhies is now
cultivating--and harvesting a big crop
of fruit from each year. Mr. Hamlin
expects to leave Medford within the
next few weeks, but just where he will
go to is unsettled."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, August 2, 1901, page 7

Fred Barneburg
and Will Stewart were
down on Rogue
River this week with a line out
for fish--many of which they
gathered
in. Mr. Barneburg leads the van of
fishermen in this neck of the tall
sugar pines--with D.H. Miller,
Prof. Narregan and Billie Isaacs
very
closely following."Purely
Personal,"
Medford
Mail,
August 16, 1901, page 6

A. J.
Stewart has
purchased 200 acres of the Mingus
land from S. M. Eby, paying a
little
over $11,000 therefor. The
property is one and a half miles
west of
Medford and is some of the best
land in the Rogue River Valley.
Mr.
Stewart, we understand, will plant
the same to fruit within a couple
or
three years. The deal was made
through the F. M. Stewart real
estate
agency."Additional Local," Medford
Mail, August
16, 1901, page 6 There
are many good
arguments which can be put up
in support of the growing of
fruit as
against that of wheat. These
arguments are nearly all known
to the
people of the Rogue River
Valley, and it would be
useless to reiterate
them here, but a comparison
favorable to fruit is here
found, and as it
is founded upon facts and
logical figuring there are no
premises left
for dispute: Forty acres of
wheat on the Asa Fordyce
place, which was
purchased a few months since
by Hon. J. H. Stewart,
thrashed out this
year forty-three bushels per
acre, the wheat being raised
by Mr.
Fordyce. This forty acres will
be planted to Yellow Newtown
apples next
spring by Mr. Stewart, and
thereby hangs a tale, or
rather a
reflection. This forty-three
bushels is worth about $20 and
is a good
yield for an acre of ground,
but it took two years to get
it, as it was
a summer fallow crop and a
heavy drain was made on the
soil. When the
Yellow Newtowns begin to bear
a full crop the number of
bushels per
acre will in a single year
equal ten such crops of wheat,
or the yield
for twenty years, and in
dollars, twenty such yields or
the gross
returns for forty years. The
loss of income while the
orchard is
maturing, measured by the
wheat standard, will be
covered twice over by
a single good crop. To care
for and harvest one good crop
of fruit will
for a single year necessitate
the expenditure of $150 an
acre or $6,000
for the forty acres. Factory
and mill will take part of
this, but much
the larger portion will go
directly to labor here, and
the community
will derive as great
incidental benefit from this
forty acres of
orchard as from a thousand
acres of wheat. Soil must be
carefully
selected, and brain as well as
brawn given to attain success
in such a
highly specialized industry as
successful growing of fruit.
Failure is
certain if slovenly or
careless methods are followed.
Assuming thirty
years as the life of an
orchard on such land and in
the hands of such
workmen as Mr. Stewart and his
son-in-law, Mr. D. R. Hill,
then for
thirty years labor will be
largely employed, the
community sustained
and the owners will have
something to show for a life
of labor other
than a very sluggish soil and
a dynamic mortgage.
"City Happenings," Medford
Mail,
August 16, 1901, page 7

A. J.
Stewart will
plant part of his recently
acquired land to fruit this
fall, he having
already purchased 1000 Comice
pear trees from L. E. Hoover.
The land is
part of the old Mingus tract
and was purchased last week
from S. M. Eby.
"City Happenings,"
Medford Mail, August 23,
1901, page 7

Thos.
Honeyman, of the firm of Honeyman,
DeHart & Co., has purchased
Hon. J. H. Stewart's orchard,
which adjoins Medford on the
north. The
sale includes about 80 acres of
land and the fine residence built
a few
years ago, as also that occupied
by Dillon Hill. The price paid was
$15,000."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
August 29, 1901, page 3

Mr. Stewart, the orchardist, has greatly improved his
place [on the Rogue River] by clearing away a large amount of timber and brush and putting
out about thirty acres to pear trees.A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford Mail, August 29, 1902, page 5

Portland
Man Invests in Medford.

MEDFORD, Or., Aug.
29.--Thomas Honeyman, Sr., of
Portland, today purchased the
J. H. Stewart residence and
orchard
property here. The purchase
includes 65 acres of bearing
apples and a
pear orchard, the residence
and a grove of 12 acres
surrounding it. It
is said Mr. Honeyman will make
his future home at Medford.
The price
was $15,000.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, August
30, 1901, page 5

Jake Huger,
superintendent at
the
Voorhies fruit
orchard, reports
that he is packing
Bartlett pears at
the rate of a
carload a day and
would be packing
more if more pickers
could be had.
He expects at least
twenty carloads of
pears will be
gathered from the
orchard, and there
may be thirty."Additional
Local,"
Medford
Mail,
August 30,
1901, page 6

J. H.
Stewart, the
orchardist, has sold his fruit
orchard and residence to Thos.
Honeyman,
senior member of the Honeyman
Hardware Co. of Portland. [It
was
actually E. J. DeHart.]
The purchase comprises
seventy-seven and one-half acres
of land and includes, aside from
sixty-five acres of bearing
orchard, the fine residence
recently built
by Mr. Stewart and the residence
of his son-in-law, Dillon Hill,
together with the twelve acres of
grove that surrounds these
buildings.
Mr. Stewart reserves the crop of
fruit now being harvested. The
price
paid was $15,000, and possession
is to be given Oct. 1st. Mr.
Stewart
and Mr. Hill will move to the
Fordyce place, which Mr. Stewart
purchased a short time since and
which is situated just south of
the
above-mentioned property. Mr.
Honeyman, it is reported, will
move to
his recent purchase and will make
Medford his future home. The land
in
question, or a part of it at
least, is inside the incorporate
limits of
our city. It is an ideal home, and
had Honeyman hunted for years for
a
more suitable suburban place of
abode he could not have found it."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, August
30, 1901, page 7

Clinton
E. Stewart, who
owns one of the largest and
best orchards in southern
Oregon, has
bargained it to O. S. Clay of
Snohomish, Wash. It contains
about 300
acres of land, half of which
is set with a superior quality
of fruit
and nut trees. The
Times
learns that the price
agreed on is $14,000. The
sale was made through the real
estate agency of York &
Wortman
of Medford."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
September 12, 1901, page 7

W. S. Clay,
of
Snohomish, Wash., who had
been in Medford a couple of weeks,
on Saturday of last week closed a
deal whereby he became the
possessor of C. E. Stewart's fine
orchard,
located south of Medford. The
purchase comprises all of Mr.
Stewart's
land, over 200 acres, the most of
which is now a bearing orchard,
together with all horses, wagons
and farm implements, save one or
two
horses and a few minor articles
which are reserved. The price paid
was
a good, snug sum--the exact amount
not being given out by parties
interested. Mr. Clay left Monday
morning for his home where his
family
resides. Possession is to be given
on or before January 1, 1902, but
Mr. Clay will lose no time in
moving here and be in readiness to
take
possession at any time. The
purchase was a good one, and Mr.
Clay will
never have occasion to regret
having become the possessor of
this fine
farm. The sale was made through
the W. T. York real estate agency
and
was one of the largest deals ever
made in Southern Oregon orchard
property. Mr. Stewart will
probably plant another orchard at
some other
place in the valley."Additional
Local,"
Medford
Mail,
September 13, 1901, page 6

A few weeks
ago these columns told of
the sale of
the J. H. Stewart fruit farm,
near Medford, to Mr. Honeyman.
It was Mr.
DeHart, another member of the
Honeyman Hardware Company, of
Portland,
to whom the sale was made.
Perry
Stewart and family have moved
from
Sebastopol,
Calif. to Redding, Calif.
Drifting Medford way,
seemingly. They'll be
back here again one of these
days--and their many Medford
friends will
be pleased thereat.
Judge James
Stewart has taken a position
as night
clerk at Hotel Nash. Legal and
office business requiring his
attention
will be looked after during
the afternoon of each day."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail,
September 27, 1901,
page 7

WILL
TAKE UP FRUIT FARMINGProminent
Business
Man, E. J. DeHart, Will Go to
Medford.

E. J.
DeHart, who recently purchased the
fruit farm of Hon. J. H. Stewart,
one mile from the town of Medford,
Jackson County, will remove there
with his family on October 10. The
place contains 80 acres, 65 of
which
are in fruit trees. There are 2000
apple trees, 800 pear trees and
200
prune trees. The trees are all
bearing and in the best of
condition,
and the land is in the highest
state of cultivation.
In making his
home on this place Mr.
DeHart can hardly be said to be
going into farming to grow up with
the
country, for all the hard work and
waiting has been done. The place
is
in one of the most beautiful
sections of the state, with a most
delightful climate, where every
prospect pleases, and if rural
felicity
is to be found in Oregon it is
there.
Mr. DeHart has
long been a prominent
factor in business circles in
Portland. He went into business
here in
partnership with John R. Foster.
In 1862 he bought out Mr. Foster's
interest and conducted the
business under the firm name of
Jacob
Underhill & Co. until 1868. He
then went to San Francisco,
where he was in business for five
years. He then went to New York,
where he stayed till 1875. In 1876
he returned here and took charge
of
the business of E. J. Northrop
& Co. In 1878 he bought out
Mr.
Northrop and organized the firm of
Thompson & DeHart. Later
William Honeyman became his
partner, and the firm of Honeyman
&
DeHart continued the business
until Mr. DeHart sold his
interest to the sons of Mr.
Honeyman some 18 months ago. Mr.
DeHart has
always borne a first-class
reputation as a business man and
has hosts
of warm friends who will wish him
every success in his new
departure.
Mr. Stewart has bought 160
acres of land just across the road
from Mr. DeHart's place, where he
proposes to make another fruit
farm.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, October 2, 1901, page 8

Clinton
E.
Stewart, who purchased part of the
Mingus place, situated in Heber
Grove, of his father, Capt. A. J.
Stewart, will set it in orchard.
The
latter will do likewise with the
balance. The tract amounts to over
200
acres."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
October 10, 1901, page 7

Notice
to Directors.

The
directors
of the Rogue River Valley Oil
Company are hereby requested to
meet at
the company's office in this city
on Friday, Oct. 18th, at 7:30 p.m.
Matters of importance to consider.

F.
M. Stewart,
Secretary,

Medford
Mail, October
11, 1901, page 2

Ordered
by the court
that C. E. Stewart be allowed
$8 rebate on his road tax for
use of wide
tire wagons."County
Commissioners' Court," Medford
Mail,
October 11, 1901, page
2

Perry Stewart
and family returned to
Medford Tuesday
evening from California, where
they have been sojourning for the
past
six months. They are not
enthusiastic in their praise of
those parts of
the state where they
stopped--Sebastopol and Redding.
There are
features of the country that are
not so bad, but on a general
roundup
of all matters Mr. Stewart has
come to the conclusion that the
Rogue
River Valley is a long ways ahead
of 'em all. Mrs. Stewart's health
has
improved somewhat but she has not
entirely recovered. They have
concluded to make Medford their
home for a time without
date--and
their many friends will rejoice
because of their conclusion.
Mr. and
Mrs. E. J. DeHart and
daughter,
Miss Ella, arrived in Medford
last week from Portland and
are now
preparing for a permanent
residence in our city. It was
Mr. DeHart who
purchased the J. H. Stewart
fruit orchard in southwest
Medford, paying
$15,000 therefor. Mr. DeHart
is of the hardware firm of
Honeyman,
DeHart & Co., Portland. He
has decided to try rural life
in the
suburbs of Medford and is
seeking a rest from business
turmoils and
perplexities and an enjoyment
of the quiet and independence
of a
Southern Oregon orchard home.
He has moved his household
effects and is
now in full possession of his
property. These are fine
people, and the
coming of more like them to
our locality will be of profit
to the
valley and pleasure to our
people. Mr. DeHart has one of
the finest
home places in all Southern
Oregon, and his orchard is
ranked among the
first in its production of
Oregon red and yellow apples."Purely
Personal,"
Medford
Mail, October
18, 1901, page 6

Clint
Stewart has
purchased from his father the
200-acre tract of land, west
of Medford,
which the latter gentleman
purchased a few months ago
from Mr. Eby. The
land will all be set to apple
and pear trees this winter.
A. J.
Stewart is having a dwelling
house
erected on his recently
acquired land west of Medford.
The building is
26x28 feet in size and one
story high. Contractor A. C.
Nicholson is
doing the carpenter work.
Jake Huger,
superintendent
of the Capt.
Voorhies
orchards,
packed and
shipped last
week four
carloads of
Winter Nelis
pears, and has
this week
commenced
gathering and
packing
apples. The
pears were
shipped to
eastern
markets."Additional
Local,"
Medford
Mail,
October 18, 1901, page 6

E. J.
DeHart, who
purchased the Hon. J. H.
Stewart fruit orchard, near
Medford, has given
an order to L. E. Hoover for
thirty Royal Ann cherry trees,
the same to
be planted this winter. Mr.
DeHart has noted the growing
demand for
this variety of fruit and
proposes to be in a position
to supply some
of it. Among the recent
innovations in bar drinks is
the cherry
cocktail, in the preparation
of which the Royal Ann almost
always
figures, and the demand for
this variety of fruit is
growing to
wonderful proportions because
of this cocktail notion, or
fad."City
Happenings,"
Medford Mail, November
1, 1901, page 7

Capt. Gordon
Voorhies is
preparing to
plant to trees
the 240 acres
of land which
he recently
purchased from
Bud Hamlin.
This
land adjoins
Mr. Voorhies'
old orchard,
and when all
is planted he
will
have 380 acres
in trees--the
largest
orchard tract
in Southern
Oregon."Additional
Local,"
Medford
Mail,
November
8, 1901, page
6
Perry Stewart
and O. S. Snyder have
invented a
device for holding a screen door
closed and also preventing it from
slamming. It is a queer sort of a
contrivance with springs and
grooves
here and there and needs to be
seen to be understood and
doubtlessly
used to be appreciated. The
gentlemen have the article
patented--and if
they don't make a cold million out
of it they ought to."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail,
November 8, 1901, page 7
MR.
DeHART'S FINE PLACE..--While
in
Medford a few days ago, Adam
Klippel called on his former
neighbor
here, E. J. DeHart, who
recently purchased some 87
acres of the
celebrated Stewart fruit
ranch, adjoining Medford. He
says Mr. DeHart
is delighted with his place
and his new home, and showed
him all over
it. Mr. DeHart had just
completed picking 1000 boxes
of apples of one
variety, and was getting them
ready to ship. Not only has he
secured a
lovely home and surroundings
in one of the most delightful
sections of
Oregon, but he looks forward
to making a financial success
of fruit
growing, and thinks it will
not take him many years to
clear the
$15,000 he paid for the place.
One thing which will be of
interest to
prune growers and handlers is
that Mr. DeHart has decided to
cut down
all his prune trees and plant
more apple trees. Prunes are
"mighty
onsartln," anyhow, and it is
only once in three or four
years that
there is much profit in them.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, November 9, 1901, page
7

A. Stewart of
Klamath County is
paying relatives living in
Medford a visit. He is a
brother of Justice
Stewart."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
November 14, 1901, page 4

Hon. J.
H. Stewart
returned this week from a
several weeks' stay at his
mountain ranch, on
Rogue River.
"Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, November 22,
1901, page 6

A. J.
Stewart left
Wednesday for El Paso, Texas,
where he will spend the winter.
Mr. and Mrs. W.
H. Stewart left
Wednesday for a few weeks' visit
to San Francisco.
W. S. Clay and
family arrived in Medford
Wednesday
evening from Snohomish, Wash. Mr.
Clay is the gentleman who
purchased
the C. E. Stewart fruit ranch a
couple of months ago.
Mrs. D. M.
Knisely, of Edgerton, Ohio,
arrived in
Medford Wednesday evening and will
remain during the winter with her
uncle and aunt, Mr.and Mrs. F. M.
Stewart. The lady is the wife of
Dr.
Knisely, a prominent dentist of
Edgerton, and is here for the
benefit
of her health. She was accompanied
by her sister, Mrs. E. B. Farley,
wife of a big wholesale furniture
dealer in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
and is here upon a visit."Purely
Personal,"
Medford
Mail,
December 6, 1901, page 6

Capt. Gordon
Voorhies has
ordered enough
Yellow
Newtown and
Spitzenburg
apple trees
and Bartlett
and Howard
pear trees
to plant the
Bud Hamlin
place, which
he purchased a
few months
ago.
There are
about two
hundred and
sixty acres in
the place, and
it will
all be
planted."Additional
Local,"
Medford
Mail,
December
6, 1901, page
6
J. A. Stewart
left Wednesday for El
Paso, Texas, where he will spend
the winter.
Mr. and Mrs. W.
H. Stewart left
Wednesday for several weeks' visit
in San Francisco.
Mrs. D. M.
Knisley, of Edgerton, O.,
arrived Wednesday and will remain
during the winter with her aunt
and
uncle, Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Stewart.
She was accompanied by her sister,
Mrs. E. B. Farley, of Colorado
Springs, Col."Medford,"
Sunday
Oregonian, Portland,
December 8, 1901, page 21

Engineer Vic
McCray came in from the
Fish Lake Ditch
this week for a few days' business
stay in the city. He returned
Wednesday, accompanied by F. M.
Stewart, a notary public. They
will
visit several farmers along the
line of the ditch and secure their
acknowledgments to a number of
ditch contracts and rights-of-way."Purely
Personal,"
Medford
Mail,
December 13, 1901, page 6

John
Barneburg:--"We had a letter from
Mollie this week. She is at Dr.
Burke's hospital in San Francisco, and
is very much improved in health. We
also heard from Will Stewart. He has
been at another hospital in
that city having skin grafted onto his
arms and hands. The operation
proved a complete success, and he has
now left the hospital. His arms
and hands were badly burned several
years go, and they have been very
troublesome to him since because of
the fact that the skin would not
cover the burned places. How large
were the strips of skin that were
grafted on? I don't remember, but they
were inches wide and several
inches long. They were taken from his
hip. He's all right now and will
probably be home soon.""City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail,
December 20, 1901, page 7

Mrs. D. B.
Fairley, who has been here
upon a visit
to her sister, Mrs. F. M. Stewart,
left Tuesday for Southern
California, where she will visit a
few weeks before returning to her
home at Colorado Springs,
Colorado. Her husband is quite a
wealthy and
prominent mining man and is at
present president of the Chamber
of
Commerce of Colorado Springs."Purely
Personal,"
Medford
Mail,
December 27, 1901, page 4

Mrs. F. M.
Stewart, who has been quite
ill for several months past, is
reported to be somewhat improved."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail,
December 27, 1901, page 7

E.
J. DeHart is making
many substantial
improvements about his
suburban orchard
home. He has
carpenters at work putting
up a 30x50-foot
carriage and implement
house, the same being
finished in good style and
in keeping with his
elegant residence and
other surroundings. He has
grubbed out all his prune
trees and has set the
ground to Bartlett
pears and has also set out
sixty fruit trees of
various kinds for a
family orchard. These
include cherry, fig,
peach, apricot, almond and
plum trees. He proposes
making other improvements
about the place, and
when all are completed he
will have a model home."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, January
2, 1902, page 7

The
Bartlett pear has not been
neglected, and some striking
successes
have been scored in its culture at
the old Stewart (now Voorhies)
orchard, notably, which almost
repaid the purchase price of the
orchard
in two crops to the present owner,
largely through Bartletts. While
superior to the California
product, our Bartlett pears come
on the
market while yet glutted with
California's surplus each season,
and the
variety is so perishable that it
will not stand cold storage after
transportation east, thus
frequently "netting a loss" to the
shipper.
The present season our local
growers, who sold early or on
contract,
made a handsome thing out of
Bartletts, but the dealers are
said to
have come to grief. As a solution
of the difficulty, dealers and
growers are talking up the
proposition of local cold-storage
plants, to
lengthen the season. A better plan
would appear to be that of Hon. J.
H. Stewart, who has discovered a
nook in the higher mountains, up
Rogue
River, remote from railroads at
present, where the fruit matures
some
two weeks later than in the
valley, where he is preparing the
ground
for setting sixty acres in pears
next year, realizing that in the
present state of development of
this section transportation will
not be
lacking when the trees get into
bearing. Mr. Stewart is deserving
of
the title of Father of the Fruit
Raising Industry here, and his
present
enterprise at the age of 72 years
should put to the blush those who
state that life is too short for
the man of average age to plant an
orchard."More Good Fruit Stories,"
Medford
Mail, January
31, 1902, page 1

J. H.
Stewart:--"I want
some trespass notices. I am
compelled to put them up to
protect myself,
though I never did put up such
a notice before. The young men
and boys
around town have had the run
of the old fairgrounds so long
that they
think they own them, and go
out there to shoot birds, etc.
Now, I have
some very fine colts being fed
in that grove, and there has
been too
much promiscuous shooting
going on there of late. None
of the animals
have been injured so far, but
I don't care to take any
chances. Hence,
these notices.""City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, February
7, 1902, page 7

J. H.
Stewart has but
recently finished planting
fifty acres of land, on the
Fordyce place,
to apples--2100 trees
thirty-one feet apart. He is
now preparing to
plant thirty acres of his
Rogue River ranch to pears.
This last-named
place is pretty well up in the
mountains, being only a short
distance
from Fall Creek."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, February
14, 1902, page 7

LEADER
OF INDUSTRYWhat
J. H. Stewart Has Done at
Medford.A
DISTRICT REVOLUTIONIZEDThe
Development of the Fruit
Industry in the Rogue River
Valley
Portland Capital Taking Hold
of It.

MEDFORD,
Or., Feb. 20.--(Staff
correspondence.)--The most
interesting
man in Southern Oregon is Hon.
J. H. Stewart, the Medford
apple-grower.
He is essentially a man who
does things, and he is,
furthermore, a man
who has reasons for things. I
venture to say that Mr.
Stewart never did
anything in his life without
knowing why. It was no
accident that he
came to Southern Oregon 15
years ago; it was no accident
that he
established himself just where
he did; it was no accident
that he
prospered, and that in
prospering he has
revolutionized the industry
and the fortunes of the
country around about Medford.
These were my
conclusions as the result of a
three hours' interview with
Mr. Stewart
yesterday, and they will, I
think, be borne out by anybody
who will
read even so much of the story
of his experiences and
achievements as I
may be able to reflect in what
is to follow.
Mr. Stewart
comes of the race of
true-bred Americans, born in
the early years of the last
century, with
enough of Yankee in his blood
to give mental energy and
fixedness of
purpose, and enough of the
Scotch-Irish strain to yield
imagination,
fluency in expression, and the
taste for public affairs. Mr.
Stewart is
at once a man of action and a
man of talk; and he both acts
and talks
to some purpose. He has no
affectation of reserve, no
habit of hiding
his light under a bushel. He
is willing that his neighbors
and all the
world shall have any advantage
which may come through his
experiments
and achievements. And now that
he is past the age when it is
reasonable
to hope for any personal
profit from new ventures, he
is as busily
employed in useful labors as
if his daily bread depended
upon his daily
effort.

----

Mr.
Stewart was past 50 years of
age, and had done about one
man's
share of work, before coming
to Oregon. He began business
life in
Illinois and Missouri, 'way
back in the '40s, grew
millions upon
millions of orchard trees as a
professional nurseryman,
planted many
orchards, and incidentally
served several terms in the
Illinois
Legislature, before the time
came when he could cut loose
and satisfy a
lifetime's wish to visit the
Coast. "I had seen enough," he
said, in
the course of talk, "to make
it clear to me that the fruit
business in
the Mississippi Valley was
about played out, for the
development of the
Coast was rapidly making, as
it has since made, it
impossible for the
interior states to compete in
the general markets." Mr.
Stewart's idea
upon leaving home was to
settle somewhere in the Puget
Sound country,
and it was to that part of the
Coast that he first turned.
But the
conditions for horticulture,
and especially for
apple-growing, did not
wholly suit him, and he came
on south, carefully taking in
every
section of the country from
the Columbia River down to
Southern
California. Several months
were spent in visitation and
investigation.
No section was slighted, even
the remote country of Lake and
Klamath
counties being visited. His
final determination was that
the Rogue
River Valley, above every
other section of the Coast,
was adapted to
the growing of apples on a
large scale. And, being
thoroughly
convinced, he bought the land
where afterwards his first
orchard was
planted--now the Voorhies
place--and returned to his
home in Quincy,
Ill., for the winter and to
close out his affairs. The
winter was by no
means an idle one, for, in
addition to other labors, he
grafted with
his own hand the several
varieties of nursery stock
which he thought
suited to his new situation;
and, in large part, the
Voorhies orchard
today is the outcome of that
winter's work at Quincy, Ill.

----

Mr.
Stewart found, as he expected
to find, that horticultural
experience in one country is
no infallible guide to
successful practice
in another country where the
conditions of soil and climate
are
different. And thus it was
that, after his first planting
was three
years old, he set about
reforming it. It takes nerve
to cut to the
trunk and "work over" thrifty
and promising trees, but this
Mr. Stewart
did with a good portion of his
orchard. "There are some
things," he
says truly, "which have got to
be learned by actual
experience on the
ground. I watched the old
orchards about me, I watched
my own trees,
and I became convinced that I
had made some mistakes, and I
rectified
them so far as it was
possible, though it cost me a
painful effort to
do it."

----

It
is not necessary to follow in
detail the first years of Mr.
Stewart's career in this
state. By 1890 it was
demonstrated that a new
spirit had entered into the
Rogue River Valley. A country
which had
formerly been thought fit only
for the rougher sorts of
production--for
pasture and for
grain--suddenly came into
prominence as the producer of
apples and pears the like of
which had not often been seen
even in
those parts of Oregon famous
for their fruit products. It
was soon
found that the skill and
energy of one man had given to
the Rogue River
Valley a new character and a
new impetus: that the special
adaptations
of the country had been found.
But this did not wholly
satisfy the
people; who had long been used
to isolation, and who had not
learned
the significance of
transportation. "We may,"
declared the
doubting Thomases, "be able to
grow apples by the ton, but
what good
will it do us? Who is there
after the limited Portland
demand shall be
supplied
to
buy our product?" Mr. Stewart
had not overlooked this point,
and his
answer came in the form of a
season's crop shipped and sold
at a great
profit in the markets of the
Eastern States and Europe. He
knew what no
other man in the country
suspected, namely, that such a
product as that
of the Medford district had
the world for its market. It
was upon the
basis of his knowledge of the
demand which waited upon a
strictly
first-class apple, in
connection with his faith in
the soil and climate
of the Rogue River Valley,
that his first orchard was
planted. It was a
case where the outcome
entirely justified the hope
and fully rewarded
the effort. But years
intervened between the plan
and the
demonstration, and they were
years which to a man less
confident in his
own judgments, less resolute
in his purposes, less willing
to work for
the future and to wait upon
the future, would have been
tedious and
anxious to the last degree. In
a sense, as he now frankly
admits, they
were so to Mr. Stewart, but he
worked and waited through them
hopefully
and cheerfully. "I never much
minded the croaking," he says,
"for I
never doubted what the end
would be."

----

It
was in 1885 that Mr. Stewart
set about the work of making
his first
orchard. It was eight or 10
years before the vision which
inspired his
efforts and buoyed him through
the years of waiting stood
plain in the
view of everybody. Since that
day of demonstration it is now
less than
10 years. These periods are
short when considered in
connection with
the industrial revolution of a
country. But they have been
momentous in
the highest degree for the
Rogue River Valley. They have
established
her name in the commercial
world; they have witnessed the
progress of
tree planting until all around
Medford the country is coming
to be one
vast orchard; they have given
the valley an industrial
specialty which
means so much for any country;
they have brought new people
and new
capital into the valley, and
have given it purpose,
hopefulness and
general impetus. And for all
this the Rogue River Valley is
indebted to
J. H. Stewart.

----

Mr.
Stewart is naturally best
known as an apple-grower, but
he has by
no means confined his energies
to one variety of fruit. His
experiments
in pear growing are, in his
own view, as important as in
apple-growing.
The pear is destined to be as
great a commercial
success, he
thinks, in the Rogue River
Valley as the apple. "We can
compete with
the world in pears," he says.
"Our best varieties are large
in size,
fine in color and flavor, and
will keep better in
transportation than
the product of any other
country." In his first orchard
there was a
large planting of pear trees,
and they have been profitable
from the
beginning. In one or two
seasons when, from frost or
some other cause,
the apple crop has been
disappointing, the pear crop
has remained to
make the season one of profit.
Last year in many orchards the
pear crop
was the more profitable end of
the business, and it is for
this reason
that every orchard now set out
in Rogue River Valley is made
up in
large part of pears. The
grape, too, has come in for a
share of Mr.
Stewart's attention, and.
while neither himself nor his
neighbors has
done anything with it in a
commercial way, Mr. Stewart is
convinced
that there is in the Rogue
River Valley a great future
for the table
grape. Of the 50 or more
varieties which he has fruited
during the past
15 years, there are two--the
Catawba and the
Delaware--which, in his
judgment, can be produced in
the very highest perfection in
the Rogue
River Valley. Whoever will
take up the production of
these varieties on
commercial lines, Mr. Stewart
thinks, will duplicate the
success which
has been made in connection
with the apple and pear
business and give
to the valley a new and large
source of income. In no other
country
that he knows of can these
favorite varieties be grown
without a
blemish--and this is the
record of experiments
extending over a period
of something more than 15
years.

----

My
interview with Mr. Stewart
yesterday was, of course,
largely a
"fruit talk." He spoke from
the standpoint of an
established authority
and with the caution of a man
anxious to avoid misleading
statements.
"I make it a rule," he said,
"not to advise the
fruitgrowers of Oregon
upon points of practice,
because my experience in this
state has been
limited to this valley, and I
know that what is truth and
wisdom here
may be the very reverse as
related to other districts.
For example,
there can be no question that
with us the Newtown Pippin is
the best
apple--best because it is less
liable to blight from frost
than other
varieties, because it is
relatively free from pests,
because it is a
fine keeper, and, last but not
least, because its market is
the world.
In my judgment--and I have
observed widely for a period
of 60
years--the Rogue River Valley
can produce a better Newtown
Pippin than
any other spot in the world. I
have tested the matter here,
and I know
of what I speak. But this may
not apply to other parts of
Oregon. Each
district has its own
characteristics of climate and
soil, and each must
find out by experience what
its best adaptations are."
Proceeding, Mr.
Stewart said that there were
reasons why the Spitzenburg,
which does so
well at Hood River and
elsewhere. is relatively less
successful in the
Rogue River Valley. Color, he
declared, which is so large an
element in
the commercial value of the Spitzenburg, is a product more
of moisture
than of warmth; and not in all
seasons do the ruddy apples
get moisture
enough to develop them in
perfection. The red
varieties--very notably
the Jonathan--do better in the
high ground far above the
floor of the
valley than in the valley
itself; and Mr. Stewart is now
planting these
varieties on a mountain tract
30 miles from the railroad,
hoping to
gain, through the excellence
of the mountain fruit, a price
that will
make it profitable to bring it
to the railroad by wagon.

----

On
every hand, as one drives
about Medford, there is
manifest the
influence of horticulture upon
the welfare of the country.
The various
orchards now in bearing
aggregate no less than 1000
acres, and the
annual shipment runs up to
about 200 carloads. In
addition to this,
there are large orchards at
other points in the county and
in the
adjoining county of Josephine.
Indeed, the largest single
apple orchard
in the country is at Central
Point. There are, too,
indications that
the business is but just
begun. Within the year upwards
of 1000 acres
have been set out in apple and
pear trees, and this planting,
added to
what has been set out during
the past two seasons, makes
some 2000 or
more acres, which will in time
be added to the productive
area.

----

The
part taken by Portland men and
Portland capital in these
enterprises is interesting and
significant. Some three years
ago Mr.
Gordon Voorhies, of Portland,
connected with the Burrell
family, bought
from Mr. Stewart his original
place three miles south from
Medford, and
since that time has added
greatly to it. His planting
the present
season will aggregate
something like 225 acres. It
is understood that
Mr. Voorhies' venture has
proved highly successful, so
much so that in
the brief period of his
ownership his original
investment has been
fully regained. Another
Portland investor in the
Medford orchard
district is E. J. DeHart, the
well-known hardware merchant,
who has
recently become the owner of a
fine place of 75 acres
immediately north
of town. Mr. DeHart has come
with his family to the new
purchase, and
proposes to make his permanent
home here. Another and very
recent
venturer in orchard property
in the Medford district is Mr.
Hunt Lewis,
of the well-known Portland
family. His fine place of 160
acres joins
Mr. Voorhies" place on the
south. It is sometimes
asserted that
Portland is slow to take hold
of the productive interests of
the
country, and in instances this
may be true; but in the case
of the
apple industry the charge
certainly will not be. Indeed,
if the
movement shall keep up we may
soon expect to hear that the
capitalists
of Portland are crowding the
owners of the soil from out
their own
territory.
A. H.Morning
Oregonian, Portland,
February
22, 1902, page 1

MORE
FRUIT TALKHow
the Newtown Pippin Gained
Its
Fame.ELIMINATION
OF THE UNFITAn
Interesting Story Relative
to
the Origin of the Oregon
PioneerFruit
Varieties--The Ashland
Fruit District.

MEDFORD,
Or., Feb. 22.--(Staff
Correspondence.)--"I think I
may fairly
boast," remarked Mr. DeHart to
me this morning, as he piled
another log
on the blazing hearth, "of the
most expensively stocked
woodshed in the
State of Oregon." Proceeding,
he explained that the basis of
his fuel
pile was a prune orchard
planted some eight or 10 years
ago and
recently dug up, just as it
was coming into maturity,
because it has
been found that the prune is
not a profit-winner in the
Rogue River
Valley, or at least not in the
district of which Medford's
the center.
It seems that those who
ventured early in the orchard
business here,
including Mr. J. H. Stewart,
were to some extent infected
with the
prune craze which swept the
country a few years back, and
without
carefully estimating all of
the facts related to the
production and
marketing of prunes, made a
very considerable planting of
prune trees.
This explains the presence
about Medford of some small
prune orchards
which are not profitable but
which there is some natural
reluctance to
destroy. The situation of the
orchardist in possession of a
thriving
plantation of prune trees is
precisely that of one having
on his hands
a half-worn suit of clothes
which he is unwilling again to
wear, but,
nevertheless, lacks the moral
courage to give to the poor.
Mr. DeHart
solved the dilemma by having
his prune trees dug up and
converted into
firewood and by planting
apples and pears in their
place. Some others
have followed the same course,
but others still hold on to
their prune
trees, hoping against hope and
waiting for the season of
old-time
prices, which will never come
again.
The variety
planted here is the Petite,
or French prune, which comes
into direct competition with
the
California prune crop, to
which it is inferior in the
all-important
point of size and with which,
under the local conditions of
climate, it
is unable to compete as to
price. Mr. Voorhies, who, as
the owner of
the old Stewart place, has a
beautiful prune orchard, still
holds fast
to his trees and last season
turned out a product of
several carloads,
but the sizes were small and
the price, which has
been
reserved, must have been very
little if anything above the
cost of
production. There can, I
think, be no mistake in the
calculation which
adjudges the prune tree
commercially worthless in the
Rogue River
Valley, and which has
sentenced it to the axe and to
the fuel heap.

----

I
was especially interested in
this because in times past I
have
witnessed the very same
evolutionary process in
various parts of
California. Some 15 or 20
years ago, when California
went prune mad on
the basis of the early and
great success of the prune
business in the
Santa Clara Valley, prune
orchards were set out with
small regard for
local conditions, and, among
other places, in the region
fronting the
Coast south and west of the
Santa Cruz Mountains. In time
there grew up
a great orchard area along the
Coast. The trees were vigorous
and
healthy, as they are now in
the Rogue River Valley. Their
product of
fruit was immense, exceeding,
in many localities, the
product of Santa
Clara orchards. But, in spite
of all, the Coast prune could
never be
made to yield a profit. At
first the blame was laid upon
the fogs which
prevented the fruit from
drying by the cheap and handy
process of
exposure to the sun; and to
get over this difficulty a
great drying
plant was created by the Coast
growers on the inland side of
the Santa
Cruz Mountains, the fruit
being hauled over to the
drying grounds by an
easy arrangement with the
railroads.
But this
plan did not work in practice,
and the Coast growers fell
back upon artificial drying,
which consumed
all the margin of the business
and put them at a disadvantage
as
compared with the growers in
the valley districts. At last
the wiser
among the Coast growers
abandoned the prune business
altogether and
directed their attention
toward other forms of
production. Whole
orchards of fine prune trees
were cut down
and burned, and the soil which
they cumbered was given over
to other
and more profitable crops. I
myself witnessed the
destruction of one of
the largest prune orchards in
the Pajaro Valley
(Watsonville), and am
able to bear personal
testimony to the
disappointment and loss
suffered
in the effort to do in that
locality what was being done
and which
continues to be done easily
just across the range less
than 20 miles
away. The abandonment of prune
growing, if not the beginning
of the
apple industry in the
Watsonville district, was at
least the beginning
of its larger development.
Apple trees were, to a very
great extent,
planted in the room vacated
through elimination of prune
orchards, and
today they contribute in large
measure to the welfare of one
of the
most prosperous sections of
California.

----

In
horticulture, as in other
things, each country has to
find out its
best adaptations. There is but
one guide to this end, and
that is
experience, and experience
usually comes high. Too often
those who
venture first are heavy
losers, and too often they are
looked upon as
cranks even by those who gain
most through the
demonstrations into
which they have cast their
energies and their fortunes.
Happily, this
has not been the experience in
the Rogue River Valley. The
industrial
Moses of that district, Mr.
Stewart, made some mistakes,
as he frankly
confesses, but his early
ventures, as well as his more
recent ones,
have been on the whole
successful and profitable. He
had what many a
man lacks at the critical
time--namely, the nerve to
look his failures
in the face and to discount
their effect before they could
impoverish
him or seriously impair his
fortunes.

----

In
the course of my long talk
with Mr. Stewart, reported at
length in
my letter of yesterday, many
interesting facts in
connection with apple
production were developed, but
nothing that interested me
more than the
story of how the Newtown
Pippin, which is so general a
favorite on the
other side of the Atlantic
Ocean, came into its very
great reputation.
There are, as the apple world
knows, few places where the
Newtown can
be grown to perfection.
Everywhere in the Mississippi
Valley it is a
failure, and it is only here
and there in small spots an
the Atlantic
Coast that it is a pronounced
success. One of these favored
spots is in
Albemarle County, Virginia,
which has long enjoyed a
specially
favorable reputation in the
Eastern apple markets. Some 30
or more
years ago an Englishman of
rank found his way into
Albemarle County,
and being greatly pleased with
the quality of the apples
which he found
there, sent several barrels as
gifts to friends and
distinguished
persons in England, among
others to Queen Victoria. The
Queen
acknowledged the gift in a
personal letter, which found
its way to the
Albemarle apple growers, who
made it a point each year
thereafter to
send her a large consignment
of their choicest production,
specially
polished and wrapped and
packed in varnished barrels.
Whoever came into
hospitable contact with Queen
Victoria for a long
series of
years was more than likely to
be given opportunity to sample
her
American apples, and thus it
came about that the Newtown
Pippin--or the
Albemarle Pippin, as it is
commonly called in
England--grew into a
great and special fame, which
lasts to this day and helps to
make the
fortune of the apple grower of
Medford and other apple
districts of
Oregon. And this fame is not
likely to suffer in the hands
of our
people. The Newtown Pippin of
Albemarle County, fine fruit
as it is, is
no match for the Newtown
Pippin grown at Medford or
Hood River and at
some other places in this
state, and already, when
compared with the
Oregon product, it ranks as
second class in the markets of
the East and
of Europe.

----

Mr.
Stewart believes that he has a
very curious historical
connection
with the horticulture of
pioneer Oregon, though he was
wholly
unconscious of it until after
his first visit to the state
in 1884. In
the course of his examination
of the early orchards in the
Willamette
Valley and of Southern Oregon
in that year, he was surprised
to find a
range of varieties familiar to
his youth, and which, so far
as his
knowledge goes, were never
propagated excepting in his
father's nursery
at Quincy, Ill., in the early
'40s. The history of these
varieties is a
peculiar one. The elder
Stewart was a pioneer in the
nursery business
in Illinois, and found it
difficult to keep up his stock
in a country
so far from the sources of
supply. On one occasion he
commissioned a
neighbor who was going to
Ohio, then a relatively new
country, to bring
him a new stock of scions, and
as a result got a quantity of
seedlings
which had been developed in
Ohio by settlers from New
England. From
this invoice he produced a
stock of trees of a kind
never, to his
knowledge, propagated by any
other nursery; and it was
these varieties
which Mr. Stewart encountered
here in 1884, so greatly to
his surprise.
Upon his
return to Illinois he spoke of
the matter to an old man who
as a youth had been in his
father's
service, and got what may be
an interesting historical
fact. It appears
that some time in the '40s a
man from Missouri, whose name
was long ago
forgotten, came to the elder
Stewart's nursery at Quincy
and bought a
general assortment of fruit
trees, which he intended to
take across the
plains to Oregon. They were
packed with great care for the
journey in a
wagon bed. Mr. Stewart has
neither names nor dates in
connection with
this incident, but he is
convinced that this wagonload
of trees was
none other than that which
Seth Lewelling brought across
the plains at
a very early date, and which
became the parent stock of
most of the
early orchards of Oregon. In
no other way can Mr. Stewart
account for
the presence in all our old
orchards of the varieties
which were
familiar to his boyhood, and
which, as above stated, were
the special
product of his father's
nursery.
The facts
are certainly interesting and
suggestive, and it would be
worth the while of some
enthusiastic
historical student to run them
down. No other incident in
connection
with the pioneer industry of
the country is more
interesting than the
Lewelling enterprise, and any
new fact in relation to it is
worthy of
record. I suggest that the
point be taken up by the State
Horticultural
Association and fully
investigated.

----

Of course,
all the horticultural energy
of Southern Oregon is not
centered in the Medford
district, nor is it
limited to the apple and the
pear. The country about
Ashland has long
been famous for its peaches.
Peach orchards, both old and
new, abound
in that region, and I know of
nothing prettier than the many
plantations which checker the
mountainsides to the south and
west of
the city. Already the supply
far exceeds the domestic
demand; and from
orchards already planted there
is destined to come a product
great
enough to make a place for
itself in such markets as it
may be able to
reach. There is, however, this
serious fact in connection
with peach
growing in Southern Oregon,
namely, that for all its
excellence--on
account, indeed, of its
peculiar excellence--the
Oregon peach is not a
good shipping fruit. If it had
the tough skin and the fibrous
pulp of
the Sacramento peach it would
not be so luscious, so good to
eat from
the hand, but it would have
better carrying quality, and
therefore have
higher commercial value than
it is. There is probably a
commercial
future for the Southern Oregon
peach, but it is one limited
to such
markets as may be reached by a
brief carriage. In the cities
of the
Pacific Coast the Ashland
product is not likely to find
a serious
rival, but its field is in
these relatively local
markets. The Southern
Oregon small fruits are, like
the peach, of unique quality.
They grow
with surprising vigor and in
surprising quantity. Their
flavor is
unsurpassed. Comparison of the
Ashland strawberry with the
California
strawberry, for example, puts
the latter wholly in the
shade; but the
condition which establishes
the quality of the Ashland
fruit is as well
the condition which limits its
commercial value. It is too
juicy, too
rich, too intrinsically good
to stand up under stress of
time and
change of temperature;
therefore it will not bear
long-distance
transportation. Its market
must be found near at hand--in
San
Francisco, Portland, Seattle
and elsewhere near home.
A. H.Sunday
Oregonian,
Portland, February 23, 1902,
page 9
Jas. Stewart,
our efficient justice of
the peace, had business at
Jacksonville the other day."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
February 27, 1902, page 4

ALL HONOR DULY
GIVEN.The Oregonian
of
February 22d Printed a Three-Column
Article
Telling of Hon. J. H. Stewart's
Successful Introduction of Horticulture
in the Rogue River Valley.

In the Portland Oregonian
of date February 22d, there appeared a
three-column
article, written by a special correspondent, bearing
in a general way
upon the horticulture interests of Jackson County,
but more
particularly upon the success which Hon. J. H.
Stewart, the parent to
this industry, has made from a commercial point of
view. We publish
below excerpts from the article:
The most interesting man in
Southern
Oregon is Hon. J. H. Stewart, the Medford apple
grower. He is
essentially a man who does things, and he is
furthermore a man who has
reasons for things. I venture to say that Mr.
Stewart never did
anything in this life without knowing why. It was no
accident that he
came to Southern Oregon fifteen years ago; it was no
accident that he
established himself just where he did; it was no
accident that he
prospered, and that in prospering he revolutionized
the industry and
the fortunes of the country around about Medford.
Mr. Stewart comes of the race of
true-bred Americans, born in the early years of
the last
century, with enough Yankee in his blood to give
mental energy and
fixedness of purpose, and enough of the Scotch-Irish
strain to yield
imagination, fluency in expression, and the taste
for public affairs.
Mr. Stewart is at once a man of action and a man of
talk; and he both
acts and talks to some purpose. He has no
affectation of reserve, no
habit of hiding his light under a bushel. He is
willing that his
neighbors and all the world shall have any advantage
which may come
through his experiments and achievements. And now
that he is past the
age when it is reasonable to hope for any personal
profit from new
ventures, he is as busily employed in useful labors
as if his daily
bread depended upon his daily effort.
Mr. Stewart is past 50 years of
age, and
had done about one man's share of work before coming
to Oregon. He
began business life in Illinois and Missouri 'way
back in the '40s,
grew millions upon millions of orchard trees as a
professional
nurseryman, planted many orchards, and incidentally
served several
terms in the Illinois Legislature, before the time
came when he could
cut loose and satisfy a lifetime's wish to visit the
Coast. "I had seen
enough," he said, in the course of talk, "to make it
clear to me that
the fruit business in the Mississippi Valley was
about played out, for
the development of the Coast was rapidly making, as
it has
since made, it impossible for the interior states to
compete in the
general markets." Mr. Stewart's idea upon leaving
home was to settle
somewhere in the Puget Sound country, and it was to
that part of the
coast that he first turned. But the conditions for
horticulture, and
especially apple growing, did not wholly suit him,
and he came south,
carefully taking in every section of the country
from the Columbia
River down to Southern California. Several months
were spent in
visitation and investigation. No section was
slighted, even the remote
country of Klamath and Lake counties being visited.
His final
determination was that the Rogue River Valley, above
every other
section on the Coast, was adapted to the growing of
apples on a large
scale. And being thoroughly convinced, he bought the
land where
afterwards his first orchard was planted--now the
Voorhies place--and
returned to his home in Quincy, Ill., for the winter
and to close out
his affairs. The winter was by no means an idle one,
for in addition to
other labors, he grafted with his own hand the
several varieties of
nursery stock which he thought suited to his new
situation, and in
large part the Voorhies orchard today is the outcome
of that winter's
work at Quincy, Ill.
By 1890 it was demonstrated that
a new
spirit had entered into the Rogue River Valley. A
country which had
formerly been thought fit only for the rougher sorts
of production--for
pasture and for grain--suddenly came into prominence
as the producer of
apples and the like of which had not often been seen
even in those
parts of Oregon famous for their fruit products. [Local
newspapers had encouraged fruit production for
years before Stewart's
arrival; this became an insistent drumbeat as the
prospect of rail
connection to the outside world became more
likely.] It
was soon found that the skill and energy of one man
had given to Rogue
River Valley a new character and a new impetus; that
the special
adaptation of the country had been found. But this
did not wholly
satisfy the people who had long been used to
isolation, and who had not
learned the significance of transportation. "We
may," declared the
doubting Thomases, "be able to grow apples by the
ton, but what good
will it do us? Who is there after the limited
Portland demand shall be
supplied to buy our product?" Mr. Stewart had not
overlooked this
point, and his answer came in the form of a season's
crop shipped and
sold at a great profit in the market of the eastern
states and Europe.
He knew what no other man in the country suspected,
namely that such a
product as that of the Medford district had the
world for its market.
It was upon the basis of knowledge of the demand
which waited upon a
strictly first-class apple, in connection with his
faith in the soil
and climate of the Rogue River Valley, that his
first orchard was
planted.
It was in 1885 that Mr. Stewart
set
about the work of making his first orchard. It was
eight or ten years
before the vision which inspired his efforts and
buoyed him through the
years of waiting stood plain in the view of
everybody. Since that day
of demonstration it is now less than ten years.
These periods are short
when considered in connection with the industrial
revolution of the
country. But they have been momentous in the highest
degree for the
Rogue River Valley. They have established her name
in the commercial
world; they have witnessed the progress of
tree-planting until all
around Medford the country is coming to be one vast
orchard; they have
given the valley an industrial specialty which means
so much for any
country; they have brought new people and new
capital into the valley,
and have given it purpose. And for all this the
Rogue River Valley is
indebted to J. H. Stewart.
On every hand, as one drives
about
Medford, there is manifest the influence of
horticulture upon the
welfare of the country. The various orchards now in
bearing aggregate
no less than 1000 acres, and the annual shipment
runs up to about 200
carloads. In addition to this, there are large
orchards at other points
in the county and in the adjoining county of
Josephine. Indeed, the
largest single apple orchard in the country is at
Central Point. There
are, too, indications that the business is just
begun. Within the year
upwards of 1000 acres have been set out in apple and
pear trees, and
this planting, added to what has been set out during
the past two
seasons, makes some 2000 or more acres, which will
in time be added to
the productive area.
The part taken by Portland men
and
Portland capital in these enterprises is interesting
and significant.
Some three years ago Mr. Gordon Voorhies, of
Portland, connected with
the Burrell family, bought from Mr. Stewart his
original place, three
miles south of Medford, and since that time has
added greatly to it.
His planting the present season will aggregate
something like 225
acres. It is understood that Mr. Voorhies' venture
has proven highly
successful, so much so that in the brief period of
his ownership his
original investment had been fully regained. Another
Portland investor
in the Medford orchard district is E. J. DeHart, the
well-known
hardware merchant, who has recently become the owner
of a fine place of
seventy-five acres, immediately south of town. Mr.
DeHart has come with
his family to the new purchase, and proposes to make
his permanent home
here. Another and very recent venturer in orchard
property is Mr. Hunt
Lewis, of the well-known Portland family. His fine
place of 160 acres
joins Mr. Voorhies' place on the south. It is
sometimes asserted that
Portland is slow to take hold of the productive
interests of the
country, and in instances this may be true; but in
the case of the
apple industry the charge certainly will not be.
Indeed, if the
movement shall keep up we may soon expect to hear
that the capitalists
of Portland are crowding the owners of the soil from
out [of] their own
territory.Medford
Mail, February 28, 1902, page 1

C. W. Hughes, who has
charge of the old Mingus place, located in Heber
Grove, now owned by
Capt. Stewart, was to town the forepart of the
week. Great progress has
been made in denuding the timbered land, which
will be transformed into
an orchard."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, March 6, 1902,
page 5

Mrs. D. M. Knisely, who has
been
visiting her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. F. M.
Stewart, for the past
three months, left last week for her home in
Edgerton, Ohio."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, March 7, 1902, page 6

Jake Hugger reports
unusual activity out at the Voorhies fruit
ranch. Aside from the
regular work of caring for the trees there is a
large force of men at
work setting out 170 acres of land to trees, and
another gang has been
grafting. Mr. Hugger is putting in 25,000 pear
grafts and 30,000 apple
grafts. It can be truthfully said that Jake is a
"grafter" of no mean
pretensions."City
Happenings," Medford Mail, March
7,
1902, page 7

Mrs. D. M. Kniseley, who
has been
visiting her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. F.
M. Stewart, for several
months, left this week for her home in
Edgerton, Ohio."Medford," Sunday
Oregonian,
Portland, March 9, 1902, page 20
Will H. Stewart returned Sunday evening from San
Francisco,
where he had been for two weeks undergoing
treatment at the Lane
Hospital. The operation was that of skin
grafting. This is the second
operation which Mr. Stewart has had performed,
and he feels confident
that it is the last one which will be necessary.
In this last operation
pieces of skin nearly the size of one's hand was
removed from one part
of his body and grafted onto other parts."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, March
28, 1902, page 6

W. H. Stewart, the energetic
horticulturist, has returned from San Francisco,
where he spent some
time in the Lane Hospital. He underwent a second
operation for
skin-grafting, which seems to be entirely
successful."Southern Oregon News,"Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, April 3, 1902,
page 2

Hon. J. H. Stewart has
returned from a
trip to his farm on Rogue River. That section is
well adapted to the
fruit industry, and he has planted a
considerable area in apples and
pears, particularly the latter."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
April 3, 1902, page 5

Captain Gordon
Voorhies
was down from Portland this week looking
over his large orchard tract,
which is being so ably managed by Jake
Huger."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, April
11, 1902, page 6

Hon. J. H. Stewart has
commenced preliminary arrangements for the
erection of a magnificent
residence on his place southwest of Medford.
He has selected a very
beautiful spot, in a grove facing the west,
and is now trimming the
trees and shaping matters generally for the
finest semi-city and
country home in all Southern Oregon."Additional Local," Medford
Mail, April
18, 1902, page 6

Capt. A. J.
Stewart,
who has been spending the winter in New
Mexico and Arizona, returned on
yesterday evening's train."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
April 24, 1902, page 5

A. J. Stewart
returned
Tuesday evening from his winter's stay
in Mexico and California. He
will remain during the summer, and a
glad hand is given him by his many
Medford friends."Purely Personal," Medford
Mail, April
25, 1902, page 6

C. E. Stewart is doing a
lot of improving on the farm he recently
purchased adjoining the Ish place, west of
Medford. He has had grubbed several acres of
brush land and is having timbers hewed with
which to build a big barn. Besides this he
has put in tiling in a marshy place to the
north end of his fields and has water
running therefrom which he is figuring on
making valuable use of. This marsh is
different from most of them. Instead of
being low ground, it is a kind of mound, in
which the water rises and flows off. By
piercing this mound through and through with
tiling Mr. Stewart has collected the water
in one body and now estimates that there are
seventy-two inches of water flowing from the
marsh. He is now figuring on putting in a
hydraulic ram and forcing the water to the
farmhouse, to be used for domestic purposes.
"City Happenings," Medford
Mail, April 25, 1902, page 7 A. J. Stewart returned
Tuesday from a winter's stay in Mexico and
California."Society:
Medford," Sunday
Oregonian,
Portland, April 27, 1902, page 22 George Porter is now
temporary night clerk at Hotel Nash--doing
service while the regular
clerk--Judge James Stewart--is out doing
some campaign work."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, May
9, 1902, page 7

Jas. Stewart has returned
from his trip
in the northwestern part of the county. His
place as night clerk at
Hotel Nash has been acceptably filled by Geo.
Porter."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, May 15, 1902, page
7

Clint Stewart, the
veteran fruit man, has received a silver
medal for the best almond
exhibit at the Charleston fair. He holds the
record in this respect,
for he captured silver medals at the
Portland exposition and also at
the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition. Col.
Dosch, who is in charge of
the Oregon exhibits at the Charleston fair,
states in a letter that the
exhibit from Clint attracted widespread
attention. He states further
that the Oregon department is constantly
crowded with people anxious to
learn things about Oregon. Many people
scarcely believe that such fine
products can be grown here. Others ask the
Colonel if the Indians are
still very dangerous in Oregon.
Hon. J. H. Stewart will
soon begin the
construction of a handsome residence on his
farm near Medford. W. W.
Woods has furnished a carload of lumber
already. Shingles will be used
instead of rustic."Brief
Mention," Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, May 29, 1902, page 5

It is an agreeable task to
advocate the election of a man like C. E. Stewart as
a member of the legislature, and the Mail takes
great pleasure in doing everything in this power to
further his successful candidacy. The voters of
Jackson County cannot possibly make a mistake in
choosing Mr. Stewart to represent them in the lower
house of the legislature. A long and successful
business career, in which he has had to deal with
large interests, fits him fully to cope with the
questions affecting his constituency which may come
before the legislative assembly at its next session,
and his known honesty of purpose and integrity
ensure that he will be nowhere but on the right side
of those questions. Amply qualified, strictly
honest, clear-headed and able as Clint Stewart is,
can the voters of this county do better than to send
him to the legislature to look after their
interests? We don't think so, and have sufficient
confidence in the people of Jackson County to
believe that they will look to their own interests
in the matter and record their votes
accordingly--for C. E. Stewart."A Word About Republican
Candidates," Medford
Mail, May 30, 1902, page 6

Bert Miller has taken a position
as night clerk at Hotel Nash. Judge Jas. Stewart has
been switched from night to day clerk at this
popular hostelry."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, May 30, 1902, page 7
The Medford Bachelor Club
went into
mourning this week. One of its members so far
forgot himself as to get
married last Sunday. Miss Sophia I. Ratrie, of
Lake Creek, is the young
woman who is responsible for the gloom that
surrounds bachelor hall and
causes the flag to fly at half mast. It was for
her sake that Jim
Stewart, the popular justice of the peace, and a
member of the club in
good standing, forsook the ranks. The couple
were married by Rev. F. L.
Crandall and are at home to their many friends
in the West cottage on A
Street. They have our congratulations and best
wishes."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
June 5, 1902, page 4

Married--Stewart-Ratrie.

Judge James Stewart, of this
city, and Miss Sophia I. Ratrie, of Lake Creek, were
married by Rev. T. L. Crandall at the Baptist
parsonage in this city, on Sunday, June 1, 1902.
The groom has been a resident of
Medford for many years and has a host of warm
friends who are now extending congratulations.
The bride, until last fall, was a
resident of Lake Creek, where a brother and sister
reside and where she is well and most favorably
known. She is an orphan girl, her parents having
both died some years ago. Frank and Chas. Swingle,
of Langell Valley, Klamath County, are her uncles.
She was a student in the Medford Academy during its
last term.
The happy couple have commenced
housekeeping in a residence on North A Street, which
the groom had previously made ready.Medford
Mail, June 6, 1902, page 2

J. H. Stewart has the foundation
completed for a fine residence in a grove at the old
fair grounds. Owing to his inability to secure
lumber, the carpenter work cannot be commenced until
sometime in July.
Captain Gordon Voorhies, who
purchased the J. H. Stewart Eden Valley Orchard, has
let the contract to G. L. Schermerhorn to remodel
the old house and to build an addition to it 23x33
feet, two stories high with a wide porch extending
around it. Work will be commenced in a few days,
provided the lumber can be had.
The brick block that A. J.
Stewart is having erected on Eighth Street is
rapidly nearing completion, and if no delays are
encountered the building will be ready for occupancy
about the first of July. S. Childers has the walls
up and E. W. Starr is pushing the carpenter work
with all possible haste and will have the roof ready
in three or four days so that the bricklayers can
put up the fire walls, after which the tinners will
put on the tin roof. The building, which is 50x55
feet, is to have a cement floor, and it will be an
ideal workroom for the cigar factory. Messrs. Palm
and Whitman have leased the building, and they will
move their factory as soon as it is ready for them.Medford
Mail, June 13, 1902, page 3

A Fine
Farm Home.

J. Hugger, foreman of Capt. Voorhies'
Eden Valley
Orchard, was busy Monday with his teams,
transferring a carload of
household goods and farm supplies that had
been sent from Portland by
Capt. Voorhies for the new residence on his
farm. A gasoline engine and
1100 feet of 2-inch pipe were in the
shipment, and will be used in the
installation of a water system for the house
and outbuildings, the
water coming from a big well dam in the
orchard. A Shetland pony and a
diminutive cart, for the amusement of Capt.
Voorhies' children, were
also a part of the shipment. Another carload
of household goods will be
put up as soon as the house is completed. It
will be the largest and
one of the finest farm residences in Jackson
County. Capt. Voorhies
arrived from Portland Sunday to supervise
the finishing touches to his
house, to have it in readiness for his
family, who will arrive in about
three weeks.Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, July
31,
1902, page 4

Capt. Gordon Voorhies'
addition to his farm residence is rapidly nearing completion and will
be ready for occupancy by the middle of August. The additions and
improvements made about this very pleasant place are colossal in
extent, and by them the place is made one of the largest and grandest
farm homes in Southern Oregon. Contractor G. L. Schermerhorn has the
contract for all the work of the structure. He is nearly through with
the woodwork, and Ling & Boardman are now applying the paint
while the Childers boys are doing the mason work. E. S. Wolfer has the
plumbing contract and is also putting in an acetylene gas plant which
is of size sufficient to supply twenty-five large gas jets. Mr. Voorhies
has had his household effects shipped here from Portland, and his
family will arrive just as soon as the new residence is ready for them.
Mr. Voorhies expects to make Southern Oregon his permanent home
hereafter and is laying out plans that both himself and family may have
all the comforts and conveniences of city life. Mr. Voorhies shipped a
carload of household goods from Portland about the first of June, but
at Oregon City the car caught fire and the goods were badly damaged.
His fast driving horse was also in the car and it, too was quite badly
burned, from the effects of which it has not yet fully recovered.
C. E. Stewart has let the contract to
the Medford Planing Mill Company for the erection of a fine dwelling on
his farm on the Medford-Jacksonville boulevard. The residence is to be
32x48, one and a half stories, and will have every convenience that
goes to make a modern dwelling. The plans were prepared by architect I.
A. Palmer, and they show the house to be one of the handsomest farm
residences in Jackson County. The full cost will be about $2000. Work
upon the foundation was commenced last week by G. W. Priddy, and so
soon as the lumber can be had, which will be in about three weeks,
manager Bradbury of the planing mill will have the carpenter work
started.
Jake Huger, superintendent at the famous
Voorhies orchards, reports that Bartlett pear picking will commence
about the 10th of August. This is about ten days earlier than usual.
The crop of pears from this orchard will amount to fully twenty
carloads."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail, August 1, 1902, page 7

Distinguished Crater Lake Party.

The Portland and Salem party bound for the Crater Lake National Park
arrived in the city Thursday morning and after lunch at Hotel Nash they
started upon their journey by the Rogue River route, expecting to camp
at Eagle Point last night. Friday noon they will lunch with Mr. and
Mrs. J. H. Stewart at their mountain home. The program beyond that is
not known except that they will return to the railroad by the Dead
Indian road, and will reach that point on August 20th.
The party consists of Governor and Mrs.
T. T. Geer; Congressman T. H. Tongue; Miss Bessie G. Merriam, of
Brooklyn; Miss Louie Church and Miss Margaret J. Cooper, of Salem; Mrs.
Lee Hoffman; Miss Hoffman, James Steel, F. H. Fleming, Benj. Lombard
and Will G. Steel, of Portland.Medford
Mail, August 8, 1902, page 6

Mrs. Ragsdale, of western Wash., arrived
in Medford Tuesday and will hereafter reside in Jackson County. The lady
is a sister of Mrs. James Stewart. Her husband will arrive later. Both
formerly resided in the Butte Creek country."Purely
Personal," Medford
Mail, August 8, 1902, page 6

In the Popular Mechanics, published
at Chicago, there appeared on July 12th a fine write-up of Oregon,
which together with the fine halftone illustrations occupies over six
pages. One of the pictures is that of a pear packing scene in the Capt.
Voorhies orchard, two miles south of here, taken when the place was
owned by Mr. Stewart."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail, August 8, 1902, page 7

At Eagle Point we met
a
hearty reception and were supplied with
cream, fruit and other things
to make camp life more pleasant. Citizens of
this town gathered around
our campfire and were addressed by Governor
Geer and [Congressman]
Tongue. When the latter concluded the
exercises closed with music.
Today we move on to J. H. Stewart's summer
home, where he is starting
his new fruit farm. We will be entertained
by him for lunch, and hope
to prevail on him to accompany us to Crater
Lake.Will G. Steel, "Pleasant Time for
Tourists," Sunday
Oregonian, Portland,
August 10, 1902, page 6

Col. C. E. S. Wood of
Portland, the
well-known lawyer and public speaker, was in
Medford and its vicinity
Tuesday, the guest of Hon. J. H. Stewart.."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, August
21,
1902, page 5

A
MODEL ORCHARD HOME.What Mr. De
Hart
Has Been Doing in Jackson County.Medford
Mall.

Some few
weeks since a representative of the Mail
had the
pleasure of a drive through the orchard
owned by Mr. E. J. De Hart,
south and east and adjoining the city of
Medford.
There are 65 acres in the
tract, and
nearly all of it is in bearing orchard. The
apple varieties are Newtown
Pippins, Ben Davis, Red Cheeked Pippins,
Canada Reds and a few Willow
Twigs and Lady apples. His pear varieties
are Bartletts, Winter Nelis
and De Anjou. Besides these, he has a family
orchard, in which he has
growing nearly all the varieties of fruit
used on the table. There was
a prune orchard on the place when he bought
it, a couple of years ago,
but this he grubbed out and planted the
ground to Bartlett
pears.
Mr. De Hart's orchard is
a model of
neatness--not a weed in sight anyplace; the
ground has been worked over
until it is as smooth as a house floor.
Truly, orchardists can give
their orchards no better care than Mr. De
Hart has given this one, and
he is being rewarded. The trees are heavily
loaded with the very best
fruit it is possible for trees to produce.
The orchard is under the
superintendency of Mr. William McCredie, an
experienced orchardist, who
takes great pride in the thoroughness of the
work as insisted upon by
Mr. De Hart.
Mr. De Hart's residence,
which joins the
orchard, is a most beautiful spot, and its
owner is almost continually
adding new beauty and convenience to it. He
has but recently put up
several new buildings for various uses about
the place, one of which is
a peculiarly constructed milk house and
cellar. These are made with
double air spaces on all sides, and the
fresh air is taken in several
rods away from the building and is carried
through terra cotta pipes
underneath the ground to the floors of the
milk house and cellar. Mr.
De Hart has also put in a gasoline engine,
with which water is pumped
for irrigating his lawn and vegetable
and flower garden.
Anyone visiting this fine
suburban home
cannot but admire the place, its location
beneath those grand old oaks,
its neat appearance and the general spirit
of thrift which prevails
everywhere.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, August 28, 1902, page 4

Mr. Stewart, the
orchardist, has greatly improved his [upper Rogue] place by clearing
away a large amount of timber and brush and putting out about thirty
acres of pear trees. . . .A. C. Howlett,
"Eagle Point Eaglets," Medford
Mail, August 29, 1902, page 5

Wm. Stewart has 120 acres of apples and pears. Jos. H. Stewart has 120 acres of new orchard. Mr. DeHart has seventy acres, mostly apples. This was formerly owned by J. H. Stewart."In Eden Valley," Pacific Homestead, Salem, September 4, 1902, page 1
At the Capt. Voorhies fruit farm,
harvesting of the
Bartlett pear crop was finished on Tuesday. The crop is reported to
have yielded, equally as well, if not some better than the yield of
last year, which was about twenty carloads. The harvesting of the later
varieties of pears on this farm will begin next Monday."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail, September 19, 1902, page 7

Hon. J. H. Stewart's
residence, located on the Fordyce place, not
far from Medford, is
nearing completion. It will be one of the
handsomest and most
convenient in Southern Oregon."Local
Notes,"
Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, November
19, 1902, page 1

Dillon Hill on
Thursday
shipped a carload of superior corn to the
Gold Hill mills, where it
will be converted into meal. About
four miles south of Medford is the almond
orchard belonging to W. S.
Clay and Mr. Mead. The farm consists of 232
acres. There are 35 acres
in almonds 10 years old and have been bearing
for five years. The crop
this year was extra good. Mr. Clay bought the
place of C. E. Stewart.
Last year it produced about 140 sacks of 60
pounds each, which sold for
12½ cents per pound. This year's crop will be
double. The
almonds from this orchard won the gold medal at
the Pan-American.
Messrs. Clay and Mead have 40 acres set to
Petite prunes and 65 to
apples and pears."Brief Mention," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
November 26, 1902, page 2

Capt. Gordon Voorhies and family left
Wednesday evening for Portland. They will remain in that city a couple
of weeks, after which they will go to Kentucky to spend the winter."Purely
Personal," Medford
Mail, November 28, 1902, page 6

Judge and Mrs. Jas. Stewart are the happy parents of
a lively girl baby, which arrived at their home on Saturday morning,
November 22, 1902."City
Happenings," Medford
Mail, November 28, 1902, page 7

Jas.
Stewart, who is in Salem, was the Democratic
candidate for reading
clerk of the lower house of the legislature."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
January 14, 1903, page 3

S. G. Earl, a
prominent
citizen of Adams County, Ill., and his
wife are visiting Hon. J. H.
Stewart, the pioneer horticulturist, who
is an old friend of theirs."Medford Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville,
February 4, 1903, page 4

Hon. and Mrs. J. H.
Stewart, who have
been making San Francisco and Oakland a
short visit, returned the
forepart of the week.
Thos. Beavers of Peyton
was in Medford
the forepart of the week. He is in charge of
J. H. Stewart's property,
located in that section."Medford
Squibs,"
Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, April 1, 1903,
page 3Hon. J. H.
Stewart during
the past week received a fine
automobile, and with E. D. Elwood
enjoys
the honor of being the Southern
Oregon pioneer in that line."Brief
Mention,"
Democratic
Times,
Jacksonville, May 13, 1903,
page 2
A member of the
Portland Crater Lake
party has given the Portland
Oregonian
the following account of their
trip. . . . A lively scramble
down
the mossy steeps of the picturesque
little waterfall on the country
place of J. H. Stewart, of Medford, was
a feature of the next camp.
This situation is the heart of the
forest, the charming vistas and
wildwood glens causing Joaquin Miller to
exclaim that he could not wish
heaven itself to be more delightful and
entrancing in its beauty. The
rustic cottage with its wide verandas
was filled with trophies of chase
and pinewood curios. The campfire talks
inspired by the rare
hospitality of the owners were quite as
notable as at Eagle Point.
"Return from Crater,"
Rogue River Courier, Grants Pass,
August 27, 1903, page 1

JOSEPH HOWARD STEWART. As a pioneer
fruit-grower of
Jackson County Joseph H. Stewart takes first
rank, and his products are
shipped to all parts of the United States
and Europe. He is a profound
student of everything pertaining to
horticulture, and is one of the
best posted men in his line between the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
When he first came to Oregon, people
generally questioned the
advisability of raising fruit, but there are
many today who wish they
had followed his example. His father,
William Stewart, was born of
Scotch parents in in the north of Ireland,
and upon coming to America
about 1821 located on the coast of Maine, in
Washington County. He had
made a former visit there while sailing
before the mast and studying
navigation, to which he did not take kindly,
having a genius for
mechanical invention. In Maine he married
Nancy Marston, a native
daughter of the state, and who, at the time
of her death m Quincy,
Ill., left seventy-five descendants.
Fourteen children were born to
William Stewart and his wife, ten sons and
four daughters, Joseph
Howard, born in Washington County, Me.,
November 22, 1833, being the
fourth son. After bringing his family to
Quincy, Ill., in 1836, William
Stewart inaugurated a career which did him
credit from many
standpoints. Settling on land in Adams
County, he started a nursery and
farming business, and the first fruit trees
brought to Oregon in an
ox-train came from this farm. He was one of
the original Free Soilers,
and took an active part in political
matters. He was president and one
of the foremost promoters of the first
agricultural society in the
state of Illinois, organized in 1854,
supporting the same by his hearty
zeal and cooperation the remainder of his
life. Mr. Stewart died in
1859, at the age of fifty-six years, leaving
his family and friends a
legacy of an honored name and to those
dependent upon him a comfortable
inheritance.
Owing to early
association with his
father's nursery, Joseph H. Stewart had
scant opportunity for attending
school, a deficiency which has since spurred
him to unusual effort
along educational lines. At the age of
twenty-one he married, in
Quincy, Ill.., Elizabeth Hyman, who was born
on the Atlantic Ocean
while her parents were en route to America
from Germany. Her father,
George Hyman, was a tailor by trade, and in
1836 located in Adams
County, Ill., where he died at an advanced
age. In 1853 Mr. Stewart
removed to Hannibal, Mo., taking with him an
already established
reputation as a practical
fruit-grower, having taken many premiums at
state exhibits, and served
on fruit commissions. In 1860 he removed to
Quincy, and there engaged
in the nursery business until 1884. While
residing there in 1860 he
made the first large exhibit of fruit in the
East, showing one hundred
and twenty varieties of pears and apples at
the American Pomological
Society held in Philadelphia. In 1870 he was
elected to the state
legislature and during the session secured
the passage of the drainage
law. During the building of the levee at
Quincy, in 1878, he
superintended the work in the Indian Grave
drainage district. Ambitious
and resourceful, he firmly believed that
Oregon held exceptional
opportunities for the fruit-grower, and in
the spring of 1884 he took a
trip to the state, investigating the soil
and general prospects. Well
pleased with what he found, he returned to
his family in the fall, and
in February, 1885, located in the Rogue
River Valley. Two months later
found him in Illinois, negotiating for the
sale of his property, with
the proceeds of which he removed his
belongings to the coast. Needless
to say, fruit trees constituted a large part
of the outfit. The first
year in the valley he had one hundred and
sixty acres under orchard,
and the next year an additional one hundred
acres. In 1890 he shipped
the first carload of fruit out of Jackson
County, and in 1896 his
output consisted of ninety-five carloads of
apples and pears. [That
sentence
is likely the genesis of the myth that no
fruit was shipped
from the Rogue Valley until 1890. That
sentence means--and should
read--"he shipped his first
carload."]
Mr. Stewart has sold the first two orchards
which he started, and at
present has about four hundred acres devoted
exclusively to apples and
pears.
In 1898 Mr. Stewart built
a fine
residence in the Cascade Mountains, on the
Upper Rogue River,
surrounded by thirty acres of orchard, and
fitted with every modern
improvement. He has taken an active part in
the business life of
Medford, and in 1899 was one of the
organizers of the Bank of Medford,
owning the bank building and serving as the
president of the concern
for two years, and is now its
vice-president. The bank is one of the
solid financial institutions of the county
and is incorporated for
$50,000. Mr. Stewart is encouraging
fruit-growing in his children, and
his son William is one of the large
fruit-ranchers of Jackson County.
One child, Junie I., died at the age of
twenty, and three daughters,
Mrs. A. J. Weeks, of Oakland. Cal., Mrs. H.
M. Crowell and Mrs. D. R.
Hill are living. Mr. Stewart is a
Democrat in political
affiliation, and fraternally is a charter
member of Blue Lodge No. 103,
A. P. & A. M. of Medford. Portrait and
Biographical Record of Western Oregon, Chapman
Publishing
Co. 1904, page 489

Dillon Hill:--"Not much
doing right now in the orchard business--most
too wet. We have nothing
but young orchards to care for, but if you think
they do not need
looking after some you are very much mistaken.
It is when trees are
about two years old that they need the greatest
care. This will apply
now particularly to pruning. A man to prune
young trees and do it
properly must know his business. Almost anyone
can prune old trees, but
it requires an expert to prune them when young.
My father-in-law, J. H.
Stewart, has just finished pruning our 125-acre
orchard, on the Fordyce
place [at age
71].
It might seem a little egotistical in me if I
was to say that Mr.
Stewart knows his business when it comes to
growing fruit, but I have
an idea that most orchardists of the valley will
bear me out in the
assertion. But, say, speaking about orchards, I
want to tell you that
our Rogue River orchard is going to be a good
one. We have thirty acres
planted to Bartlett and Comice pears. The trees
are now two years old.
We have plans laid to put out thirty or forty
acres of our land up
there to apples. You see, it's like this: The
altitude is very much
greater there, and it stands to reason that the
greater the altitude in
which you can grow fruit the firmer and better
flavor will be the
fruit. I have eaten Jonathan apples that were
grown up there in April
and they were firm--almost as firm as when first
picked from the tree.
Yes, we are expecting our Rogue River orchard
will make a splendid
showing when it commences to bear fruit. In
planting our Fordyce
orchard we did it with a view to convenience as
well as profit. For
instance--we planted 900 Bartlett, 900 Beurre
Bosc,
800 Housels, and 1000 Comice pears. Now
this fruit will ripen
in the order named, and there will be no rush
necessary to take care of
one variety before the other is ready to handle.
After the pears are
all through with, the apples will come on. We
have planted 2000 Newtown
trees and 3000 Jonathans. We have 300 or 400
seedling trees, which we
expect to graft to Beurre d'Anjous.""Street Echoes," Medford
Mail, January
8, 1904, page 1

Fruit Farm
Sold.

It is not every 200-acre tract of land in
Southern
Oregon that will sell for more than $20,000,
and while this is true it
is also true that there are a great many
tracts of this size in our
valley which could be easily made of value
equal to the above amount if
they were properly managed and as
effectually planted in fruit trees;
while as they now lay they are not worth a
tenth of this amount. But
this is not the whyfor of this item. We
started out to make mention of
the fact that W. H. Stewart has sold his
200-acre fruit ranch to J. W.
Perkins, of Portland, for more than
$20,000--presumably about $22,000.
The land in question is
situated two and
one-half miles west of Medford, and of the
200 acres there are now 100
acres planted to the very best varieties of
commercial fruits,
principally apples, and most of the trees
are now bearing and have been
for three or four years. The new owner, we
understand, will put out
fifty acres more of the land to fruit. It
was upon this place that Mr.
Stewart built a fine residence last season.
Mr. Perkins is a young man
who has been extensively and successfully
engaged in business in
Portland for a number of years, but who was
compelled to retire on
account of health. He and his wife and
mother will move to his new
possessions about the first of April. Mr.
Stewart has not decided
definitely as to what vocation he will
pursue, but he will, in all
probability, remain in the valley.
Medford Mail, March 4, 1904,
page 1

Arthur J. Weeks of Oakland, Calif. has sold the piece of fine land he
bought about two years ago, which formerly belonged to the Hanley
estate and is located on the Jacksonville-Central Point road, to Wm. H.
Stewart. The most of it is already planted in apple and pear trees. The
new proprietor will make this an ideal orchard and one of the very best
in Southern Oregon."Brief Mention," Democratic Times, Jacksonville, April 27, 1904, page 1

C. E. Stewart today sold his fine orchard farm,
which lies two miles
west of Medford, to A. C. Allen, of Salt Lake.
The consideration was
$30,000. This place consists of 200 acres of
land with 100 acres set to
choice fruit. Mr. Allen left for Portland
tonight and will return soon,
accompanied by his family.
J. W. Perkins, of Portland, recently
purchased of William H. Stewart
200 acres of choice fruit land, the
largest part set to apples. The
price was $22,500. It lies three miles
east of Medford.
"Rogue River Farms Sold,"
Morning Oregonian, Portland, May
6, 1904, page 4

HAS TURNED FROM
HARDWARE TO FRUIT.--G. J. De Hart,
formerly of Honeyman & De
Hart, but now a fruitgrower at Medford,
is in the city with his family
on a short visit, and will leave for
home
tomorrow. Some three years ago Mr. De Hart
disposed of his business
interests here at Medford, his family desiring a
change of climate. He
has prospered very well in his new business and
ships a dozen or more
carloads of apples, etc., yearly. He is loud in
his praise of the
delightful climate of Medford, which has
restored perfect health to his
family, who, as he says, fairly live outdoors
all summer. He frankly
admits, however, that he occasionally pines for
the company of his old
business associates and friends here. The
winters he spends in Southern
California, and so sees nothing of the rainy
season or winter of Oregon.Morning
Oregonian, Portland, October 13,
1904, page 9

Will H. Stewart, an
old
Quincy boy, the son of J. H. Stewart, of
North Twelfth Street, is in
the city with his wife and son, visiting
home folks. He lives at
Medford, Oregon, and is in the fruit raising
business there. He has
been down to the world's fair."The News in Brief," The
Quincy Daily Journal, Quincy,
Illinois, October 18, 1904, page 8

Hon. J. H.
Stewart, who
has been ill for several days, is
considerably improved at this time.
Dr. Pickel is in attendance.
"City Happenings," Medford Mail, February
10,
1905, page 5

The New
Adjutant-General.

F. M. Stewart, the new Adjutant and
Quartermaster-General for the
department of Oregon, is the modest color
bearer of Medford Post, but
is regarded in high favor by his comrades.
He had an
excellent war record. He enlisted in
1862 in Company C,
Fifty-fifth Illinois Regiment, and served
till 1865, when he was
mustered out of the service. He passed
through many of the severest
engagements of the war, and was in the
battle of Shiloh. At
Altoona--made famous in song by the heroic
defense by the few when
General Sherman sent word "Hold the
Fort"--Mr. Stewart was one of those
few who received the commendation of General
Sherman. With Mr. Stewart
as Adjutant-General, his comrades are sure
there will be no more
"courthouse reunions of veterans." He has
entered upon his duties and
taken charge of affairs. The office has been
moved to Ashland so the
department commander can keep in closer
touch with the details of
business. Adjutant-General Stewart will make
weekly visits to Ashlared.Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, October 18, 1905, page 11

A short rural
telephone
line has recently been put in south and west
of Medford. There are five
patrons on the extension, and its length is
over a mile. Regulation
poles have been put in, and the wiring has
been done in conformity with
the prescribed rules and regulations of the
Sunset Company's line, to
which line a connection has been made near
E. J. DeHart's suburban
home. The line was put in by the patrons,
but the Sunset Company will
furnish the 'phones and will charge a
monthly rental of $1 for each
'phone, and the patrons will then have free
switching with Medford,
Jacksonville and all other rural lines
running out from Medford. The
cost of putting in the line to the patron
has been between $6 and $7
each. Those on the extension are: J. H.
Stewart, D. R. Hill, J. A.
Perry (farm residence), True Cox and T. E.
Pottenger's stock yards."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, February
2, 1906, page 5

Hon. J. H.
Stewart, the
well-known orchardman and capitalist, is
lying quite ill at his
residence on Oakdale Avenue. Mr. Stewart
has been ailing for the past
several months, but until lately has
been able to be up and around. His
friends are hoping to hear of the
restoration of his usual good state
of health."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, March 2, 1906, page 5

Death
and Funeral of Hon. J. H.
Stewart.

The
funeral of Hon. Joseph H. Stewart, which took place
on Tuesday, July
10th, was one of the most largely attended funerals
ever witnessed in
Medford.
The services at the late
residence were
very simple and impressive, and the esteem in which
the departed one
was held by his family, his friends and his
neighbors could be seen in
the grief-stricken faces and the welling tears
of those who
had assembled to pay the last tribute of respect to
the dead.
The services consisted of singing
by
Mrs. Vawter, Mrs. Pickel and Miss Jones--one hymn,
"Beautiful Isle of
Somewhere," being particularly impressive and
appropriate. Then came
scripture reading, prayer and the reading of the
following tribute to
Mr. Stewart, by Rev. F. W. Carstens:
"Joseph H. Stewart was born in
Washington County, Maine, November 22, 1833. Died at
Medford, Oregon,
at 9:00 p.m., Saturday, July 7, 1906; aged
seventy-two years, six
months and twenty-two days. When twenty-one years of
age, at Quincy,
Ill., he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth
Hyman, who now, as
the faithful companion of years, survives him,
sorrowing.
"After his marriage he resided
for a
time in Hannibal, Mo., but in 1860 removed to
Quincy, Ill., where he
established a nursery and engaged very successfully
in fruit raising,
taking many premiums at state exhibits and such-like
places. In 1870 he
was elected to the state legislature, serving with
great acceptability.
In 1884 he made a trip to Oregon, believing--from
what he knew of the
country--that Oregon would be an unexcelled place
for growing fine
fruit, berries, etc. So much pleased was he that
February, 1885, found
him located in Rogue River Valley. As early as 1890
he began to realize
from his new orchard of the West. That year he
shipped a carload of
fruit--the first that was ever shipped from Jackson
County. [Tons of
fruit were already being
shipped out of the valley in 1884--the year
Stewart arrived. A carload
of apples was shipped to Portland that same year.
See the next
obituary. ] In 1896 his output was
ninety-five carloads
of pears and apples. He has been called the 'father
of the fruit
industry in Oregon,' and, as his old friend, Dr.
Geary, once said,
'Every fruit tree in Rogue River Valley will be a
monument to his
memory.'
"He was a man of affairs and took
a keen
interest in all public enterprises, advising,
directing and often
aiding with his influence and money.
"He was one of the organizers of
the
Medford Bank, which was organized in 1890, and
served as president of
it for two full years.
"In his immediate family he
leaves a
companion, one son and three daughters to mourn
their loss. Outside of
the immediate family many near relatives and a host
of friends share
with the family the loss as heartfelt and personal.
"In Mr. Stewart's life there is a
tribute to the nobility of true manhood and to those
qualities of
sterling worth which made his life a success. He was
an unusually
strong, healthy man, never ill to speak of, until
about two years ago;
but since that time he has been a great sufferer,
though he has borne
the suffering and pain with the fortitude and
courage so characteristic
of him, often affirming that he believed he would
get well and be
strong again.
"He thought deeply and for
himself upon
all subjects--religion included--and often during
his illness he spoke
of the future, saying in his characteristic way:
'I'd like to explore
the future life and know what it is,' and expressing
himself as
entirely ready to go when his time should come.
"The end has come. 'The Golden
Bowl is
broken and the Pitcher at the fountain; the Silver
Cord is loosened and
the Wheel broken at the Cistern.' We weep and yet we
mourn not as those
who have no hope."
The funeral cortege was met at
the
schoolhouse by the members of Medford Lodge,
A.F.&A.M., and
escorted to the cemetery, where the last sad rites
were performed under
the rules of the Masonic order.
At the head of the procession was
the
white horse and the buggy used for many years by Mr.
Stewart, in which
was seated the officiating minister and the grandson
of the deceased,
Howard Hill.Medford
Mail, July 13, 1906, page 1

In the death of Hon. J.
H. Stewart Rogue River Valley has lost one of
its most progressive and
enterprising citizens. A citizen who has done
more than any one man in
the county to bring the fruit industry to its
present point of
importance and prosperity. When Mr. Stewart
first came to this valley
in 1885, the growing of fruit other than for
home use was unthought-of.
[Fruit
was marketed on a limited basis regionally as
early as the 1860s. Some
sources credit A. J. Weeks with planting the
first commercial orchard
in 1883.] His trained, practical mind
grasped the
situation and its possibilities at once. He
planted the first
commercial orchard in the valley [This
does
not mean he planted the first orchard.]
and in 1890
shipped the first carload of fruit ever sent to
foreign markets. Since
that time the industry has grown to immense
proportions, and to the
initiative of Joseph H. Stewart this growth and
prosperity is
attributable. Mr. Stewart was the fourth in
point of age of ten
brothers, and was the first of the ten to pass
away. The youngest
brother of the ten is fifty-three years of age
and the oldest about
eighty.Medford
Mail, July 13, 1906, page 4

WAS MEMBER OF ASSEMBLY
ELECTED FROM QUINCY TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
Hon. Joseph H. Stewart, Who Died Recently in Oregon,
Was a Former Prominent Resident of This City.

A copy of the Medford Mail of Medford, Jackson County, Oregon, under date of July 10, was received today at the Herald office,
which contains a full account of the funeral of the Hon. J. H. Stewart,
brother of William Stewart, of 1249 Maine Street, and whose death was
noted in The Herald.
The services, which were very simple and impressive,
were held at his late residence in Medford and were largely attended by
his family and many friends and neighbors who held him in the very
highest esteem. Rev. F. W. Carstens conducted the services and paid a
high tribute to his integrity, giving, also, a short sketch of his
life. He said in substance:
"Joseph H. Stewart was born in Washington County,
Maine, November 22, 1833, and died at Medford, Oregon, July 7, 1906,
aged 72 years, 6 months and 22 days. When 21 years of age, at Quincy,
Ill., he married Miss Elizabeth Hyman, who survives him. After his
marriage he lived for a while in Hannibal, Mo., but in 1860 moved to
Quincy, where he became a most successful fruit grower. In 1870 he was
elected to the state legislature and served with great acceptability.
In 1884 he made a trip to Oregon, believing that climatic conditions
there were suitable for fruit growing, and was not disappointed. He was
so pleased with the country that he moved there the next year and as
early as 1890 began to realize from his new orchards. In 1896 his
output was 95 carloads of pears and apples. He had been called the
'father of the fruit industry' in Oregon.
"Mr. Stewart was a man of affairs who took a keen
interest in all public enterprises, advising, directing and often
aiding with his influence and money. He had an exceedingly large circle
of friends and acquaintances, all of whom feel deeply the loss they
have sustained in his death."Quincy Daily Herald, July 20, 1906, page 8

THE DEATH
OF A FORMER CITIZEN Hon
J.
H. Stewart, Formerly of Quincy and
Adams Co., Died in Oregon.

HANNIBAL, Mo., July 24.--News has been
received in
this city of the death of the Hon. J. H. Stewart
at his home in
Medford, Jackson County, Ore. He was for many
years prior to and during
the war a resident of Hannibal and owned the
Col. Hatch farm, which he
sold to Col. Hatch about the year 1860. He
originally resided in
Payson, Ill., and afterwards moved to Quincy. He
now has a brother
residing in Quincy, a superannuated minister of
the gospel. He was well
and favorably known by all the older citizens of
Hannibal.The Quincy Daily
Whig,
Quincy, Illinois, July 25, 1906, page 4

When J. H. Stewart set
out his orchard in Eden precinct he gave it
the name of "Eden Valley
Orchards." Later, when the orchards were
purchased by Capt. Voorhies,
the above name was to some extent replaced
by the title of "Voorhies
Orchards." Since that time the Burrell
Investment Company has acquired
title to the orchards and now the place is
spoken of only as the
"Burrell Orchards," which latter is the
title used in all printing
matter appertaining thereto."City Happenings," Medford
Mail, August
31, 1906, page 5

A. J. Stewart, who
has
been on a trip to the southern part of
the Republic of Mexico, is home
again. John H. Stewart, his son, did not
return with him, having
decided to remain in the mines of that
section, where his cousin has
been for several years."Purely Personal," Medford Mail, March
22,
1907, page 5

After a year's travel
abroad, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Voorhies and four
children returned home on
Wednesday. As of old, they will spend their
winters in Portland and the
remainder of their home at their Medford ranch.
While in Europe Mr. and
Mrs. Voorhies were for some months in France and
also made a long stay
in Berlin with Mrs. Voorhies' sister, Mrs.
Biddle, whose husband,
Lieutenant Biddle, is stationed there as naval
attache."Society: Medford," Sunday
Oregonian, Portland,
March 31, 1907, page 26

Country
Estate at Hood River.

HOOD
RIVER, Or., June 16.--(Special.)--E. J. DeHart, of
Portland, who
recently sold his orchard property at Medford for
$35,000, yesterday
purchased a 30-acre place at Hood River, which he
will make his home.
The property is situated along the Columbia River,
and it is the
intention of Mr. DeHart, who has retired from
business, to make it into
a fine country estate.Morning
Oregonian, Portland, June 17, 1907,
page 3

A. J. Stewart, who has been visiting
with relatives in Medford for the past two or three days, returned to
his home at Cottage Grove Tuesday."Social and Personal," Medford Daily Tribune, November 19, 1907, page 4

F. M. Stewart of this
city is in receipt of the sad news of the death
of his oldest brother,
John Stewart, which occurred at Fowler, Illinois
on December 21, 1907.
Mr. Stewart had been a horticulturist nearly all
his life and as such
was a great success. He was eighty years of age."City
Happenings,"
Medford
Mail, January 10, 1908, page 5

June 1908
Sunset magazine.

Howard Hill, son of D.
R. Hill of north of town, left Sunday for
Berkeley, Cal., where he will
take a year's special course in the agricultural
department of
California's famous state university. He will
take up the studies of
entomology, botany and chemistry. His object is
to perfect himself as a
thorough and up-to-date orchardist, in which
vocation he is already one
of the best for his age in the valley, and will
be a worthy successor
of his famous grandfather, the late Hon. Joseph
H. Stewart, the
acknowledged father of the fruit-growing
industry of southern Oregon."Local and Personal," Medford
Mail, August
7, 1908, page 6

The authors of this
report have the following to say about J. H.
Stewart, who, with his
brother, F. M. Stewart, planted the first
orchard in the valley [The first settlers
planted large
home orchards in the early 1850s. Some sources
credit A. J. Weeks with
planting the first commercial
orchard in 1883, the year
before J. H. Stewart arrived.], shipped
the first car of
fruit out of the valley [A
carload of apples was shipped out of the
valley in 1884, the year
before Stewart planted his orchard.]
and sent the first
fruit to London from this valley in 1893:
"At that time the so-called
father of
the fruit industry of Jackson County, Mr. J. H.
Stewart, who came to
Medford from an eastern fruit district, and
understood the
possibilities of that enterprise, foresaw a
great future for
the valley, and accordingly, in 1885, he planted
quite a large acreage
of apples and pears, the former being largely of
the Ben Davis variety.
He cared for the trees according to his own
ideas, and that orchard
stands today as an example of one having always
been well cared for.
His methods, especially those of pruning, were
followed by all the men
who set orchards during the few years
immediately following, and soon
extended to the various other portions of the
state where commercial
fruitgrowing was attracting attention, the
railroad making such an
advance possible. It was he who so strongly
advocated the industry and
who so freely explained the methods of carrying
on the work. Thus it
was this promoter who first gave the impetus
resulting in the large
planting in Jackson County."C. I. Lewis, S. L. Bennett and C. C.
Vincent, "Orchard
Survey
of Jackson County," Oregon Agricultural
College
Bulletin No. 101, October 1908, also quoted in
the Medford
Mail, January 29, 1909, page 1

The Oregonian prints today a pastoral epistle from Millard O. Lownsdale,
Apostle to the Mossbacks, giving ghostly counsel to his woebegone
flock. The counsel is excellent. It ought to stir the souls of these
children of wrath into repentance for their many sins and set the ax to
work in every old orchard from Roseburg to Portland. But we fear it
will not. Jordan is a hard road to travel. Broad is the way that leads
to codlin moths, and many there be that find it. Once a mossback,
always a mossback is a maxim which experience compels one to accept,
however sorrowfully. It is easier to keep ninety and nine sensible
orchardists in the path of righteousness than to retrieve one
case-hardened mossback from his wicked ways. As a rule argument is
wasted upon him. It is not enough for him to be "hair hung and breeze
shaken over hell," as good old Lorenzo Dow used to put it. He must actually be dropped down into the brimstone.
It is remembered that when Mr. Stewart
first set out his now-famous orchard near Medford he was abhorred by
his neighbors as a public enemy. They had been raising apples for many
years, and they knew all about it. They knew, for one thing, that no
such apples could ever be raised in Southern Oregon as they used to
pick in Daddy's old orchard back in Missouri. After setting their trees
out these devout pioneers had, with a beautiful and childlike faith,
left the Lord to take care of them. The results rather tended to show
that the Lord had not made a specialty of horticulture. And now here
came this self-confident and intrusive Scotchman with a lot of
newfangled and foolish ideas. They could have forgiven him for being
foolish. What could not be forgiven was the sad fact that his ideas
would compel people to go to work. They were an impious assault upon
the sacred belief that in Oregon work was a sin.
One fancies
that here, perhaps, lies the secret of the reluctance of the mossback
to accept the plain truth. So long as he can shun it or argue it away
he can continue in his old, shiftless, lazy courses with a good
conscience. Hence he conjures up reasons to show that it is wrong to
cut back the horrible old orchards. Pruning trees is a good deal like
work, while to let them alone is no work at all. With these two
alternatives clearly before him, which would you naturally expect a
mossback to choose? He began life with the fundamental belief that work
is wicked, and the government encouraged his faith by giving him for
nothing more land than any man could cultivate. A premium was thus set
upon thriftlessness and selfish exclusiveness, two characteristics
which have persisted down to the present time and seem likely to
survive for a goodly season yet to come.
While we admire,
therefore, Mr. Lownsdale's enthusiastic missionary work among the
mossbacks, and laud and magnify his energetic spirit, we cannot
conscientiously say that we have much hope of his success. The most
effectual remedy for the mossback is time, which ultimately seizes him
with a grasp he cannot shirk, and lays him away where he will cease
forever to impede the progress of the world. In our candid opinion,
when the mossback was shipped to this world a mistake was made by the
clerk of the universe. He was created for some other sphere, where work
is not necessary. Here he finds himself entirely out of place, and the
striving of his neighbor is a continual grief to him. We do not, of
course, recommend to the mossback that he should take it into his own
hands to remedy the mistake that was made in sending him to the earth
to live, but if it should be a chance occur to him to do so there are
several very effectual and not unpleasant devices for the purpose which
one could gladly suggest to help him avoid failure.Sunday Oregonian, Portland, March 22, 1908, page 30

Here on a
Visit.

A. J. Stewart, formerly of Medford, now a
resident of
Cottage Grove, is in Medford for a couple of
days' business visit, and
to visit his brother, Judge F. M. Stewart, and
other relatives. He
likes Cottage Grove, but admits he does not have
to move with as swift
a pace to keep up with the booster procession as
he did when living in
Medford. Clint, his son, he says, is seriously
considering the subject
of setting out a 200-acre fruit orchard near
Cottage Grove.Medford
Mail, November 13, 1908, page 2

Mrs. J. H. Stewart,
accompanied by her friend, Mrs. E. M.
Sherman, of Illinois, departed
yesterday for Oakland, Cal., where she will
visit for several months
with her daughters, Mrs. Arthur Weeks and
Mrs. H. M. Crowell."Local and Personal," Medford
Mail, January
15, 1909, page 6

May 9, 1909 Oregonian

VETERANS
REMEMBEREDJudge F. M. Stewart
Gets Back Pay for
War Services

On the 14th of next July there will have
elapsed just
44 years since Judge F. M. Stewart, a resident
of this city and
employed on the reportorial staff of The
Morning Mail, was
mustered out of the army service at
Louisville, Kentucky.
At the time Mr. Stewart
thought he had
all that was coming to him from Uncle Sam, but
from recent advices from
Washington it appears he did not get it all.
The substance of the
Washington
communication is that $4.98 is due him from
the government and will be
sent him at once. The above amount is due him
for services rendered
from July 14 to 20, 1865, and for clothing
allowance for the same
period.
Mr. Stewart's company was
mustered out
of service at Louisville, Kentucky, on July
14, 1865, but because of
congested transportation facilities at that
time he did not reach
Springfield, Illinois, where he was formally
discharged, until four
days later, and it is for this period that the
payment is made.
Mr. Stewart says he didn't
care a whoop
then whether he ever drew a dollar of
government money--he, like
thousands of other boys, just wanted to get
home. Some of the soldiers,
he says, did not even wait for their formal
discharge, and their name
stands on the records today with the word
"deserter" written after it.
A couple of years ago Mr.
Stewart
received a communication from a Washington
attorney asking for
permission to look up his war record as to his
money allowance. The
permission was granted, and this $4.98 voucher
is the result.Medford
Mail, May
28, 1909, page 3

Stewart
Orchard Sold.

Will Stewart's farm and orchard, two
miles southwest
of town, containing 160 acres, was sold
Tuesday to George Daggett, a
recent arrival from Indianapolis, the
consideration being $85,000. John
D. Olwell, of Medford, made the sale. The
place is one of the most
desirable in the valley and has a large
acreage set [to] commercial
apples and pears.
Mr. Daggett was on a
tour of the coast
but had no thought of making such an
investment until he arrived in the
Rogue River Valley Monday morning. The
attractions were too strong to
resist, however, and within 48 hours he
was the possessor of a
beautiful home and a profitable
investment.Central
Point
Herald, June 24, 1909, page 1

BIG DEALS
IN ORCHARD LANDSeveral Tracts Have
Changed Hands
During the Past Few Days

One of the largest orchard deals made
in this locality
for several months was closed yesterday,
when C. F. Rowell, until
recently a wholesale and retail
upholsterer in Cedar Rapids, Ia., and
E. M. Soboda, a wholesale and retail coal
dealer, also of Cedar Rapids,
purchased from G. A. Morse his orchard
tract, about four miles south of
Medford and for which $80,000 was paid.
There are 145 acres of
land in the
tract, and of this fully 125 acres are set
to fruit. This is in apples,
pears and some prunes. Some of the trees
are from 12 to 15 years old,
while a few pear trees are only 4 or 5
years old. The older orchard is
now in the prime of bearing fruit, and it
is estimated the fruit now on
the trees will produce a net income of
$10,000.

Planted by
C. E. Stewart.

This is
the orchard originally owned and planted
by C. E. Stewart, and about
seven years ago was sold to Clay &
Meader and later by these
gentlemen was sold to G. A. Morse. The
orchard was planted about four
or five years after the Hon. J. H. Stewart
planted the parent orchard
of the valley, which is now part of the
large Burrell orchard.
The orchard has always
borne a good crop
of high-grade fruit, and has always been
given excellent care, and with
the same kind of care it ought to continue
to bear in abundance and as
good a variety for 20 or 25 years longer.
Mr. Rowell will have
the care and
superintendency of the orchard, and Mr.
Soboda will return to Iowa and
resume his business there. The sale was
made through the agency of
Brown & Wakefield.

More
Important Deal.

Another
orchard deal of even greater proportions
than the one mentioned above
is the matter of exchange of orchard land
for a goodly sized quantity
of the coin of the realm. There are more
acres in the sale we are about
to give mention to, and more money is
required to possess it.
This sale is that of
the Will Stewart
orchard, situated about four miles out of
Medford and a mile and a half
north of Jacksonville.
There are 170 acres in
the tract, and
the price paid was $85,000. The purchaser
is E. M. Daggett, a recent
arrival from Minneapolis, Minn. About 100
acres of this tract is set to
apples and pears, about 50 acres of each.
These trees are 5 and 6 years
old and are very thrifty. The remainder of
the land is to fruit culture.
Mr. Stewart has kept
this land in a high
state of cultivation, and it is today one
of the prettiest orchard
pictures there are in the valley.Excerpt,
Medford Mail, June 25, 1909,
page 1

William Stewart
sold
his farm of 170 acres to George
Daggett, of Minneapolis, for $85,000."Land Sales Heavy," Sunday
Oregonian, Portland,
June 27, 1909, page 6

The
Burrell Investment Company, which has 600
acres in trees and nearly 200
acres of the tract in bearing, is composed
of Portland capitalists.
Captain George Voorhies bought 152 acres
from J. H. Stewart in 1900 for
$22,000. This piece of land contained some
of the oldest pear trees in
the valley, which, in the banner fruit
year of 1907, yielded $2000
worth of pears to the acre. After a few
years Captain Voorhies turned
his interests over to the Burrell
Investment Company, which is now the
largest single fruit grower in Southern
Oregon.
Arthur M. Geary, "Enormous Wealth of Rogue
River Orchards,"
Morning Oregonian,
Portland, September 5, 1909, page F2

Judge F. M.
Stewart of
this city received word last evening
of the death of an elder brother,
H. M. Stewart, at his home at Nixie,
Missouri, at the age of 67 years.
The judge had not been apprised that
his brother was ill."Personal and Local Brevity," Medford
Mail, October
22, 1909, page 2

It is a somewhat significant fact that the Rogue
River Valley in
Oregon, where the writer has resided for the past
twenty-six years,
owes its present position in the world's fruit trade
largely to the
good judgment and horticultural knowledge of a
veteran in horticulture
from the State of Illinois. There is no better
illustration than his
experience furnishes that methods of culture and
selection of varieties
must conform to local conditions. From
the
day when Hon. J. H. Stewart, now deceased, first
saw upon the
banquet tables of the Pioneer Association,
assembled in annual reunion
at Jacksonville, Oregon, a finer display of
prime apples than he had
ever seen at a state fair in the Mississippi
Valley, he became a
staunch advocate of commercial fruit culture in
southern Oregon. Urging
upon his neighbors in the [middle] eighties,
before as yet the
transportation was provided, the necessity of
preparing to supply the
Eastern demand for such choice fruit, he himself
planted more than one
hundred acres of apples and pears, fortunately
including a good
proportion of yellow Newtown pippins and
Bartlett pears.Wm. H. Holmes, "Southern Oregon Apple
Growers--'Rogues' in Name Only," Proceedings
of
the Thirty-Sixth Fruit-Growers' Convention
of the State of
California, Watsonville, December 7,
8, 9 and 10, 1909,
State Printing Office, page 21

C. M. Speck, acting
with Neely & Young, of Spokane, and
other Spokane associates,
have purchased the 605-acre tract of orchard
land at Medford owned by
Captain Gordon Voorhies, of Portland, paying
an even $500,000 for the
tract. The land, known as the Burrell
orchard, is one of the finest
orchards in the state. It is located one
mile from Medford."Farms Sell Well," Sunday
Oregonian, Portland,
February 20, 1910, page 50

Stewart-Perry.

F. M. Stewart, the well-known G.A.R. man, and
Mrs.
Susan Perry were married Tuesday evening, Rev.
C. H. Hoxie officiating.
Mr. and Mrs. Perry left this
morning for
California, where they will visit relatives and
friends. Afterward they
will visit in Louisiana, Illinois and other
states and expect to be
absent several months.Medford
Mail Tribune, April 20, 1910, page 5

The Chrysanthemum
Circle, Women of Woodcraft, will observe
Decoration Day today, when
services will be held at the cemetery at 5
o'clock, and the graves of
the departed members will be decorated.
During the services a
monument which has
been erected in memory of Mrs. Stewart, one
of the pioneers of the
country and an early member of the circle,
will be unveiled."In Medford's Social Realm," Medford
Mail Tribune, June
12, 1910, page B1

September 11, 1910 Oregonian

Captain Gordon
Voorhies has
the largest producing orchard in the Rogue
River Valley. He has 605
acres in orchard, most of which is in
bearing. One hundred and ten
acres of his trees are 18 and 20 years old.
This tract Captain Voorhies
bought from J. H. Stewart, known as the
father of the fruit industry of
Southern Oregon, for $20,000 ten years ago.
This was the first large
sale of fruit land in the valley and started
much comment at the time.
One of the prettiest
apple orchards in
the valley is the one owned by Bruce Wilson,
brother of Dr. George
Wilson, situated on Griffin Creek, three
miles and a half from Medford.
He has 80 acres of 7-year-old apple trees
with their first large crop
hanging from the trees. These trees are
pruned according to the old
Stewart system, with one main leader, from
which the other limbs
branch. The branches begin a few inches
above the ground and alternate
around the main stalk."Many College Men Buying Homes in
Rogue River
Valley," Medford
Mail
Tribune, September 13, 1910,
page 8

MRS.
STEWART TO BE BURIED HEREAged Resident Dies
in Oakland--Has Been
a Resident
of Jackson County for the Past
Twenty-Seven Years.

The body of Mrs. J. H. Stewart, who died this
morning
at Oakland, Cal., will arrive in this city
Friday night. She will be
buried at the I.O.O.F. cemetery, where the body
of her husband, who
died here four years ago, now lies.
Mrs. Stewart, who was 75
years old and a
resident of this city for the last 27 years,
came here from Quincy,
Ill. She had been in ill health for about six
weeks, and the end came
while she was visiting with Mrs. A. J. Weeks,
her daughter, in the
California city.
Besides Mrs. Weeks, she is
survived by
Mrs. H. M. Crowell of San Francisco and Mrs. D.
R. Teil of Medford,
daughters, and W. H. Stewart of Medford, a son.
The funeral arrangements will
be in
charge of Messrs. Weeks & McGowan and will
be announced later.Medford
Mail Tribune, January 11, 1911, page
8

The funeral of Mrs. J. H. Stewart will be
held Sunday
at 1:30 p.m. from the late residence on
South Oakdale Avenue. Interment
in I.O.O.F. cemetery. Friends and
acquaintances invited to attend.Medford
Mail
Tribune, January 15, 1911, page
4

MRS. STEWART PASSED AWAY

Through a relative in this city the Journal has
been informed of the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Hyman Stewart, widow of
the late J. H. Stewart, who at one time represented this district in
the Illinois legislature. Her death, according to the notice published
in the Oakland (Cal.) Enquirer, occurred
in East Oakland, Cal., Jan. 11, and she is survived by three daughters
and one son, as follows: Mrs. D. R. Hill of Medford, Ore.; Mrs. H. M.
Crowell of San Francisco; Mrs. Arthur J. Weeks of Oakland, and W. H.
Stewart of Medford, Ore. Mrs. Stewart was born in Germany, and at the
time of her death was aged 74 years and five months.
The Stewart family was well known and highly
esteemed here for many years. Mr. Stewart was a prominent nurseryman
and horticulturist. The family removed to the Pacific coast about
twenty-five years ago.The Quincy Daily Journal, Illinois, March 4, 1911, page 7

NEW REAL
ESTATE COMPANY ORGANIZED

A real estate partnership has been formed
under the
name of La Loma real estate company, by W. H.
Stewart, with office in
the Stewart Building, over the Nicholson
Hardware Company. Mr. Stewart
is one of the pioneer orchardists of the valley,
a son of the first
commercial orchardist, and well informed
regarding the history and
possibilities of this section.
Mr. Amy is also a pioneer of
the valley,
moving here a year ago from Central Point where
he resided for many
years. Mr. Savage came here recently from
Corvallis, where he is widely
known and has an enviable reputation. Already
money [sic--many?]
properties have been listed with the new firm
and a rushing business is
in prospect.Medford
Mail Tribune, March 13, 1911, page 6

. . . it may be of interest to Quincy
people to know that an Adams County farmer is the founder of the
immense apple industry in the Northwest. This man is J. H. Stewart, a
brother of the well-known truck gardener, William Stewart, whose choice
asparagus is known to every resident of Quincy. J. H. Stewart lived on
the place known as "Stahl's Paradise," the property purchased several
years ago by the late Dr. C. L. Koch, whose widow resided there until
last fall when fire destroyed the residence. Mr. Stewart built the
house which was burned in this fire and really made the place what it
has been for the past quarter of a century.
Mr. Stewart went to Oregon in the early eighties and
located near Medford in the Rogue River Valley, where he surprised the
natives by planting an orchard of 160 acres. This was something unheard
of in that part of the country and the older settlers jeered him for
attempting such a thing. Nothing daunted him, and by the time he was
ready to harvest his crops, the rest had been convinced that this Adams
County farmer knew all along what the fertile Oregon soil was best
adapted to. Today Oregon and Washington orchard land is commanding
fabulous prices and the men who own it make fortunes in a few years
through the fine apples they raise in such abundance.
In the early years of the apple industry the growers
did not get the returns that are now reaped. One of the oldest, in fact
the second oldest man in the apple business, the man who watched
Stewart and copied him first, said recently that they sold the first
apples cheap and when they finally got as high as ninety cents a box
for them they thought they were doing well. One day he had an idea. He
wrote to the London Times and
asked for the name of a reputable English fruit concern. He offered
this company two carloads of Newtown pippins at their own figure and
was surprised when the company cabled back a price in pounds, shillings
and pence, which when translated nearly took the wind out of him. When
the draft came he was convinced, for the same apples which he had been
selling at 90 cents a box were paid for at $3 a box in London. With
such a market at their disposal, the commission men who had reaped a
harvest in the past had to meet the prices and this brought about a
revolution in the apple industry. It made possible the immense orchards
of the Northwest, the almost incredible prices of the land there and
also the handsome apples for which the consumer here pays all the way
from 5 to 15 cents apiece."The Price of Apples," The Quincy Daily Herald, Illinois, March 17, 1911, page 7

J. H. Stewart, the
leader of the
homeseekers and former member of the
Illinois legislature, knew good
fruit land [and] good fruit climate when he
saw them, and along the
Rogue he saw plenty of both. With his
son-in-law, A. J. Weeks, with J.
D. Whitman of Iowa and with P. W. Olwell he
laid the foundation for the
Rogue River Valley's paramount industry.
Near the new little town of
Medford and over toward Central Point the
four bought land, bought it
cheap in quarter-sections, and set out trees
on these tracts. Naturally
the grain[-growing] conservatives considered
the fruit radicals ripe
for the lunacy commission, maintaining that
the newcomers would not be
able to sell enough fruit to make the
venture pay. But they changed
their tune when the well-tilled,
scientifically pruned, thoroughly
sprayed orchards came into bearing six to
eight years later. Where
wheat had furnished a maximum revenue of
thirty to forty dollars an
acre, the orchards were producing from a
hundred to a hundred and fifty
dollars an acre. Buyers from California
came, purchased the crops at 65
to 85 cents a box and shipped the fruit
under California brands. The
price was not high, but the trees produced
regularly and heavily.
Evidently the conservatives had been
mistaken. After all, there was
profit in fruit. Here and there all along
the Rogue and its
tributaries, from Grants Pass to Ashland,
young orchards and vineyards
quietly took the place of grain fields. . .
.
When an offer was made,
[Stewart and his fellows]
sold out, one after the other, assuming that
their holdings would
follow the example of the Middle Western
orchards and soils, attain a
maximum, an apex of productiveness, and go
down slowly thereafter.
Twenty thousand dollars, a little more than
the revenue of a good
year's crop, was the average price paid for
a hundred and sixty acres
in full bearing, and the owners were glad to
take the money, certain
that the buyer was walking off with a
heavily gilded piece of common
burnt clay. . . .
From seventy and eighty
cents a box the offers
gradually rose, [and] the revenue from the
orchards increased. Within a
few years the buyer of the old Stewart
place, having paid $22,000 for
two hundred acres, smiled and smiled for
three long sunny days after
passing the brick on to the next man for
$78,000. All the valley smiled
with him at the purchaser.Walter
V. Woehlke, "Transplanting the Garden of
Eden," Sunset
magazine, June 1911, page 590

With the sale of 45
acres in the Morrill orchard by Captain
Gordon Voorhies, of Portland,
to Mrs. A. E. Bingham, of Santa Barbara,
Cal. yesterday, and the sale
of 230 acres of the Potter Barneburg place
to Stephen Tobin, of Casper,
Wyo., the orchard sales of the last six
weeks in Medford total $427,000."Orchard Sales $427,000," Morning
Oregonian,
Portland, January 20, 1912, page 1

Mrs. James Stewart,
who
has been visiting her cousin, F. M. Stewart,
took the car for Medford
Thursday afternoon.A. C. Howlett, "Eagle Point Eaglets,"
Medford
Mail Tribune, February
23, 1915, page 5

DIED

William H. Stewart, one of the most prominent
orchardists of the valley
and widely known, died at his Medford residence
January 19 of sclerosis
of the liver, aged 47 years. He was born at
Quincy, Ill., and came here
with his parents in 1885. His father, the late
Joseph H. Stewart, was
the pioneer commercial orchardist of the valley,
and planted the
Burrell and other famous orchard tracts, and his
son followed the same
occupation, planting the Hillcrest Orchard and
later the Stewart
Orchard, west of Central Point, which he owned
at his death.
The deceased was a member of
the Masonic
Lodge, the Blue Lodge, the Shriners, the Knights
Templar and the Elks,
and a director in the Farmers' and Fruitgrowers'
Bank. He leaves a
wife, Mrs. Ida Stewart, and three sisters, Mrs.
Dillon Hill of Medford;
Mrs. A. J. Weeks of Oakland and Mrs. H. M.
Crowell of Los Angeles.
Funeral announcements will be
made later.Medford
Mail Tribune, January 19, 1917, page
2

William A. Stewart, a
prominent
orchardist of the valley, died at his home in
Medford, Friday, Jan. 19,
aged 47 years. He planted the Hillcrest Orchard,
near Medford, and
later the Stewart Orchard, near Central Point."Local News," Jacksonville
Post,
January 20, 1917, page 3

C. W. Whillock, having faith in Medford
and believing every man should own his own home, has purchased the
beautiful residence of Mrs. Will Stewart on the corner of Mistletoe and
Tenth, paying $7000 for the property and $3000 for the furnishings.
They get possession October 1st."Local and Personal," Medford Sun, September 21, 1919, page 2

THE PEAR
PIONEERS OF MEDFORDBy JEUNESSE BUTLER

From
"way down east" to "the far west" (Maine to New
York, New York to
Illinois, Illinois to Oregon) came the Stewarts,
all nurserymen, unto
the fourth generation. True pioneer souls they
were, with the courage
and vision, patience and persistence which
characterized those whom all
Oregon is remembering today during her Diamond
Jubilee. The courage to
leave the familiar for the unknown, the vision
to sense what the future
could bring, the patience and persistence to
work for it.
"The Illinois State
Agricultural Society
award this
diploma to Wm. Stewart and Sons, Hannibal Mo.
for the best 25 varieties
of fruit. October 4, 1856," reads a framed
announcement hanging on the
dining room wall of the Dillon Hill home on
Kings Highway, where lives
Wm. Stewart's granddaughter, Mrs. Hill. Opposite
the diploma is a
beautiful picture of a Rogue River Valley
orchard in bloom, taken in
1914.
Joseph H. Stewart, son of
William,
planted the first
commercial orchard in this valley, the Eden
Valley [orchard], now known
as the Voorhies orchard and owned by Col. Gordon
Voorhies, experienced
and prominent grower. Mr. Stewart bought the
tract of 160 acres in the
spring of '85 when it was known as the old Ball
place, and planted 100
acres in fruit. In '87, he bought what was known
as the Justus place,
now the George Marshall, and two years later
planted about 76 acres in
apples and pears.
Spraying did not appear as
necessary in
those days,
more moisture made less irrigating, and smudging
had perhaps not been
invented. Good corn could be and was raised
without a drop of
water, according to those who remember, and corn
and watermelons were
grown between trees in the orchards while they [i.e., the orchards]
were growing. Blight was something of a problem,
then as now, and the
soil of the Eden Valley was a mixture of the
sandy and "sticky."
Mrs. Hill likes to recall
that her
father sent out
the first carload of Ben Davis apples that ever
left the valley. Their
destination was Germany, she says. Bartletts,
'Anjous and Howells were
the principal varieties, with the Bartlett
considered the best
commercial pear.
The Dillon Hill home is a
quaint and
charming place,
by the way. Marble-topped tables, capacious
fireplaces, old-fashioned
rocking chairs and a Steinway parlor grand
piano, rosewood cased,
combine to give an air of old-time repose and
comfort. The house was
built in 1905, a year before Joseph Stewart
died. The lumber was hauled
from a mill near Prospect by mule team. But all
this does not concern
orchards, nor growers.
It was in 1901 that 160
additional acres
of fruit
land were purchased from Asa Fordyce. Fred Page
of Portland bought much
of Mr. Stewart's fruit, states Mrs. Hill. They
also shipped to Sgobel
and Day of New York, Ray and Hatfield of New
York and Dennis and Sons
of London, England. By this time, residents of
the valley and others
were ready to believe Mr. Stewart's evaluation
when he predicted the
Rogue River country would be the "ideal pear
spot of the West." Mrs.
Hill also likes to dwell somewhat on the visits
to her father of both
Mr. Sgobel and Day, whose names are still
familiar to this section. For
the possible encouragement of those who today
may need it, there is Mr.
Stewart's advice given so many years ago, "It
may be slim in spots, but
just grit your teeth and hang on."
Mr. Stewart and his family
took things
as they came,
from the time he took a crowbar and sounded the
ground to find what he
wanted until actual buying and selling took
place. Sacks of flour were
only 75 cents in those days, and a side of bacon
cost about one dollar.
"Father eventually sold enough fruit to make a
good living," Mrs. Hill
recalls, and "he was a good financier," she adds
with pardonable pride.
A story such as this must
necessarily be
written
somewhat sketchily, for the writer is dependent
upon memories for most
of the information, and the present writer
believes it is much better
to give the readers of the Pear-O-Scope
all she has been able to gather even if not
presented in ordered
sequence.
For instance: The Eden Valley
orchard
boasted 50
varieties of pears and apples, the elder Stewart
having brought his own
nursery stock from Illinois. He came before
there were any railroads. [This
is incorrect.]
His brothers came later and also bought fruit
lands. The codling moth
and the blight were early arrivals. Ninety acres
were planted in
melons. Although having been a commercial grower
in New York and later
in Illinois, Joseph Stewart encountered
something "new and different"
when he discovered "sticky."
That he was considered in
those early
days to be
"crazy" doesn't seem so unusual, for he had new
ideas about fruit
production and marketing. "A true conception of
values in properties
and varieties," states his daughter. Ninety-six
cars of his own fruit
were shipped in 1896.
The price range was about the
same as
today, and the
pack practically the same. Although it was
thought the Newtown apple
would last, the pear was even then considered
the important product of
the valley. The Clairgeau was once a moneymaker.
The Nelis, the Bosc
and Comice were first planted about 1890 by Will
Stewart, a son, at
what is now known as the Hillcrest orchards.
Wagner Butte was planted
by his brother, A. J. Stewart.
Sons and sons-in-law planted
and owned
the Marshall
orchard, the Hillcrest, the Hollywood, the Burch
property and the Weeks
tracts on the river. Also the piece now owned by
Mrs. Jessie Minear
close to Jacksonville.
The Olwells were the next to
join the
growers in the
Rogue Valley, then W. H. Norcross of Central
Point and Mr. Whitman,
grandfather of Olin Whitman. The Pellett orchard
near Talent was one of
the early tracts, also the Helms property near
Ashland and the orchards
of Chris Eismann and brothers at Grants Pass.
If the Stewarts have a coat
of arms,
many of their
friends think, it should bear an insignia of
pears, for Joseph Stewart
was surely a pear pioneer. He was a member of
the first horticultural
society in the United States, the American
Pomological Society, which
originated in 1848. Howard Hill, his grandson,
has a most interesting
copy of the proceedings of the eighth session of
the society held at
Philadelphia in 1860. Interesting and
informative data taken from this
book and other sources will follow in additional
articles which will
appear in the Pear-O-Scope
from time to time, at the request of
our readers.Rogue
River Valley Pear-O-Scope, May 1934,
page 3

A [pear blossom] tour
of about 30 miles starts on the Jacksonville
Highway to Jacksonville,
then left to the Stage Coach Orchard, and
along South Stage Road and
Kings Highway. Just south of the last slight
jog in the road is the
area's oldest pear planting, set out in
1885. The site marks the
beginning of the largest solid planting in
the county, about 5,000
acres."Connie Hanscom Named Queen of Pear
Festival; Tours
Suggested," Medford
Mail
Tribune, April 20, 1956, page 1